Little Red Corvette
by Stargirl143
Summary: So, think you've got what it takes to spend a month with six sexy princes and choose one to be king? Really? Even with the butler hounding you, the king horndogging you, and six society ladies threatening you? Well then, follow this bright eyed, bushy tailed, and easily hot and bothered MC in a quest for the throne, and possibly more. Set in 2014. Rated T for now.
1. Chapter 1: Bedayat jadeda

** A lot more of this story is written than what's posted (mostly late middle and towards the end scenes), but it's out of order so it will take a bit before the next chapter is posted. I welcome input if there's something you'd like to see, might help the beginning flow.  
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**This goes without saying, but I do not own My Sweet Prince or any of its characters. From time to time parts of the story will match the game, but the expansions on those scenes are my own. **

**I will also mention that I have only finished the main stories of Alvah, Chezem, Lambert, and Jun; the others have been done bit by bit so I write their personalities the way I imagine them, feel free to correct me if you see a glaring error.**

* * *

Ivan hurries me along down the hall. "This will be taken care of quickly."

I'm starting to get very nervous. It was bad enough the police didn't believe me, but this situation seems to have risen far above the letter of the law, at least the law that I am familiar with. I have no idea what is about to happen. At the very least, it doesn't feel like anything good.

"Can you please tell me who we're going to see?"

Ivan shoots me a bitter look. He has clearly already judged me and found me guilty. "We are going to see the king."

_The king?!_

"Oh my..." I look down at my clothes. "I'm not dressed properly to see the king!"

Why I'm worried about my looks above everything else right now is beyond me. My nerves seem to have the better of me.

"Miss, if I may, that should be the least of your worries."

He's right, of course. I look at this man they call Ivan. He damn near scared the pants off me when he arrived at the police station and escorted me into that black Rolls Royce, I thought he was a pimp or worse. When he introduced himself as the palace butler, I felt only marginally better, but at least it explained the car and his appearance.

I've never met a butler before, but this is exactly how I imagined one. Sturdy, no nonsense, distinguished looking, he has it all. Even at the pace we're walking now, he holds his posture perfectly. The king must trust him dearly to put him in charge of a matter such as this. I look at the bracelet in my hand. _It's clearly very expensive, but based on the way they are acting, it seems more important than that. Maybe it's a royal heirloom? _

We reach a large, red double door. Ivan looks at me before opening it. "His Majesty is on the other side. He is in charge of your fate. Prepare, and don't lie."

I gulp, then nod solemnly. _I have nothing to hide, I hope he believes me._

Ivan opens the door. Before I can take in the grandeur of the ballroom, I see the king. He's sitting on his throne, which is gold and red, and he looks as if he hasn't a care in the world. He looks at me with stern eyes. Slowly, we approach him. He's pretty handsome for an older gentleman, I'm guessing he's in his fifties, and he's donning a decent amount of jewelry. _Maybe that's why this is so bad? He loves jewelry?_

We stop in front of the stairs leading up to his throne. I feel like peeing my pants. He looks down at me. "I am King Tamir, and you must be the young lady that stole the succession bracelet."

I don't really know what to do, and Ivan is giving me no hints (not like he would). I do the only thing that makes sense: I bow, and in a split second, I decide to speak.

"_Assalamu alekium, ya saheb as-samu."_

The king's eyebrows shoot up, and Ivan looks surprised as well. I can't blame them, who would guess I had been studying Arabic phrasebooks for weeks? It only seems fitting to give him the standard Arabic greeting, it's the national language and I am a guest in this country. I think about all the words and phrases I shared with my friends, and laughing at the ones I thought I'd never need. I certainly never thought I'd have to use the words "your highness" seriously, I'm glad I joked with my friends with the phrase for so long.

King Tamir's expression softens and I see the hint of a smile on his lips. "_Wa alekium assalam."_

I stand up from my bow and can't help but smile. He returned the greeting! This is a good start.

He nods. "You can speak our tongue, I'm impressed. We don't get a lot of Americans around these parts, and the ones we do only speak English."

_Okay, so far, so good._

His expression goes stern again. "Tell me why you have that bracelet. If I believe you, I shall be lenient."

I look at the bracelet. _Here we go. _"I am here on vacation your Majesty. I was returning to my hotel room after having a meal in the hotel's restaurant, and my room had been ransacked. At first glance, it looked like everything I owned was gone. I started to panic, and began going through the wreckage to see if I could find anything. As I flung things around and searched in every crevice, a sparkle from under the bed caught my eye. When I looked, I found this. I assumed it had been left behind by the previous guest, so I decided to go to the front desk. I figured I'd return the bracelet and report the theft in one shot. I thought about going to the police first, but my passport was taken, and at least the front desk knew who I was." I look up at the King. "When they called the police, I thought it was over my missing items, I had no idea they thought I was a thief! I tried to explain, but they weren't having it. Then, Ivan picked me up, and here I am."

The King contemplates this. "The bracelet was already in your room?"

"Yes sir, under the bed."

"And you have no belongings at all? If the hotel is contacted, they will confirm this?"

I nod sadly. "Yes sir. I don't know how I'm going to get home."

He rubs his chin and studies me. He looks over at Ivan. "The police said she tried to return it?"

"Yes your Majesty, but they didn't believe her."

Just like Ivan doesn't. _I hope the king can see the truth._

I still feel like peeing my pants, and now that I've had time to rehash my situation, I feel like crying too. Of course, none of it matters if the king doesn't believe me, I'll apparently be killed on the spot (I really hope Ivan was kidding about that, but he doesn't seem like the type to kid).

The king looks back at me. "You have honest eyes. I choose to believe you."

I perk up instantly. _Thank God! _"Oh _Shukran!"_

He nods and smiles. "You're pretty. Tell me, how'd you like to be the 100th woman in my harem?"

I gasp. It's impolite and I know it, but I can't believe what he just said. _Harem? 100 women? Me? ME?! I just got invited into a harem?!_

I have no idea what to say. I had no idea the king had a harem, or that it was such a large one. I don't want to join, but I don't really know how to decline politely; he did just pardon me after all.

"Your Majesty!" Ivan says, almost in a scolding tone.

King Tamir chuckles. "Alright, perhaps that's a bit sudden. However, since you're here, I insist you stay. You have nowhere to go anyway, and you'll be safer here."

I gawk. I'm at a total loss for words. _Stay here? In the palace? Me?!_

The king nods at the bracelet. "There's a reason for this. That bracelet you're holding is no ordinary bracelet. You heard me call it the succession bracelet, that's because whomever holds it will pick the future king of this country, or be king themselves. That is why we were so worried when it went missing, in the wrong hands it can be quite dangerous."

I stare at it in awe. _This decides the king? No wonder stealing it was punishable by death._

"I am getting older, as are my six sons. It's time for one of them to start running this country. In one month, one of them will be the owner of that bracelet, and I shall finally be able to relax."

_Six sons? There are six princes around here somewhere?_

He nods at the bracelet. "Every king this country has ever seen has worn that bracelet. You may be wondering why my oldest doesn't just assume the throne. My country learned long ago that birth order is no way to decide who is best suited to be king. This time around, since you are holding the bracelet, you shall decide who will become king."

My jaw drops. "Me, your Majesty?" _How am I going to do that?_

Ivan shakes his head. "I can understand you pardoning her sire, but I cannot understand this. She is not even from this country."

_Me? Pick the king? Stay here a month? Live in the palace? Oh my god..._

The king waves off Ivan's comment. "You're not from this country either Ivan, and look at what amazing service you give it. Besides, if a prince cannot win favor with a stranger from another country, he is not suited to be king." He nods at me. "You shall choose the king, and let me know if you change your mind about being in my harem."

"I...I..."

"Oh, you should meet my sons while the servants ready a room for you. I'll make sure you have everything you need to be comfortable, I'll even have the closet furnished for you. What are you, a size 6?"

_Oh he's good. Then again, with 99 women to please, he probably should be._

King Tamir claps his hands. "Ivan, summon my sons. I know they're all here right now. Have the others ready her room."

Ivan does not look pleased, but he bows anyway. "As you wish."

* * *

Next thing I know, six men enter the ballroom and line up on the first step in front of the king. They all bow, and after the king nods, they all turn and face me. I do my best not to gawk again. _Oh my god, these princes are so hot! _They seem to be standing in birth order, the oldest on the left and the youngest on the right. The oldest looks like he's in his late twenties, and the youngest must be a teenager. Every single one is studying my with a different expression: flirty, annoyed, happy, severe, indifferent, and excited. These expressions seem to give away parts of their personality right now, and I still cannot believe how hot they all are. _These are my housemates for the next month? Sweet Georgia Brown, how lucky can one girl get?_

The king speaks. "This is our guest, boys. She found the succession bracelet, and she shall decide who will be king. She'll be with us for a month, and she will work hard to get to know you all during that time. No matter her decision, I expect you all to accept it and respect it. Please introduce yourselves to her."

The oldest smiles and, with great flourish, walks up to me. "I'm Melchiorre. I have no interest in being king, but I have every interest in getting to know you." With that, he puts his arm around me, pulls me in close, and kisses me.

Only in my childhood dreams and wildest adult fantasies did I ever think I'd be kissing a prince, let alone a prince I've just met. I'm surprised by his boldness, and am too surprised to do anything beyond return the kiss (and resist the urge to run my hands through his sandy colored hair). _Damn, he sure can kiss._

He leaves my lips and smiles, arm still around me. It takes a decent amount of restraint not to swoon. I touch my lips and look at the others. They're all wearing varying degrees of surprise. I don't really know what to say.

"Ummm...if you're all going to do that, I should probably put on some lip balm first."

The youngest two look embarrassed, then the third oldest busts out laughing, as does Melchiorre.

"You sure roll with the punches, I like that." He pats my back then motions at his brothers. "Well guys? Introduce yourselves!"

_Oh my, that IS the standard greeting?!_

As if he read my thoughts, the blonde prince who was next to Melchiorre shakes his head. "That's just his way of greeting, certainly not mine. I'm Prince Lambert, and I will be the next king."

_Such confidence. _I bow.

Melchiorre laughs and keeps his hand on my back. "Don't do that, he'll get used to it and become insufferable."

Lambert glares at Melchiorre, and the fiery haired prince next to Lambert walks forward. "Nice to meet you, just call me Alvah; I never much cared for the prince title."

_I've only met three so far and already they're so different. _I smile. "Nice to meet you too, Alvah."

He smiles, then the prince with long, braided maroon hair next to Alvah kind of glares at him. He looks much harsher than the others, and then he shoots me a firm glance. "I'm Prince Jun. Ignore Lambert, just because he is older than I am doesn't mean he'll make a better king than I."

Despite his appearance, I smile at him. "Nice to meet you Prince Jun."

He gives me a curt nod then looks me up and down. The next prince has long, lilac hair and looks a bit shy. He seems to be trying to figure out what to say. I smile to encourage him, but this only seems to make him shy away more. _Maybe I need to speak first._

"Hello, it's nice to meet you!" I say enthusiastically. He nods.

"So that is the standard greeting in America then?" he responds.

_Interesting comment. _"Well, it's one of them. We don't have an equivalent of _Assalamu alekium_, but I wish we did, it's so much nicer than anything we say."

He seems to take an interest in this. "Really? Perhaps we can discuss this further later on, I'd like to learn more American English; we were taught the British form."

I clap my hands. "I'd love to! Perhaps you can teach me more Arabic in the process." I'm actually surprised they're speaking so much English, is it because I am or is that the main language in the palace?

He blushes. "I would be happy to teach you."

Well, looks like I already will have something to keep me busy...besides picking the next king of course.

Melchiorre laughs. "You two sure are hitting it off, too bad you don't know each other's names."

_Oh my, I forgot to ask his name!_ He blushes again, then looks at the ground. "I'm Prince Chezem."

Once again, before I can respond, the next and final prince (who has short black hair) steps forward. Instead of stopping, he walks up to me like Melchiorre did and gives me a big hug. "Hi! I'm Prince Nagit."

I hug him back. "It's nice to meet you as well."

The king applauds. "Now that you've met my six sons, you may get settled into your room. Ivan will show you the way." He looks over at the princes, who have assumed their original positions. "Treat her well, boys. You are all dismissed."

Ivan, who had been standing beside the king, walks down the steps and stands next to me. "This way, Miss." He begins to walk towards the main door. I look at him then back at the princes. Alvah and Nagit wave, and Melchiorre winks. _Oh girl, what have you gotten yourself into?_


	2. Chapter 2: A Butler's Expectations

**This is mostly an Ivan chapter, enjoy!**

**Just a note: As you probably already noticed, the characters will speak Arabic from time to time. I feel like it's not enough to warrant footnotes, and the meaning is almost always easy to infer if the MC doesn't straight up explain it.**

* * *

After a short amount of time, we reach a room. It looks like this is the hall of bedrooms, but I have no idea._ I really could use a palace tour, maybe I can convince Ivan to give me one later on._

"Welcome to your room Miss." With that, he opens the door. I haven't even walked in yet, but I'm already in utter awe.

This room is absolutely huge. Ten college students could live easily in this room and have no problem with space. The walls are a pristine white, and the carpet is a deep red to match the rest of the red in the palace. A double king canopy bed in an intricate iron cast frame stands up against the wall to the right, with gold colored nightstands on either side of it by the head. A fainting couch to match the carpet is a few feet in front of the bed. By the door is a vintage, golden vanity with a matching padded chair. There are doors on either side of the bed just beyond the nightstands, which I can only assume are the closet and bathroom. Directly across from where Ivan and I are standing are large, window paned double doors that lead to a balcony (I thought we were on a ground floor, but the steps in front of the palace must have been higher up than I thought). Two giant windows are to the right of the double doors, and the natural sunlight in this room during the day must be beautiful. I walk to the middle of the room and twirl around. _Wow, this almost makes all the bad things I've felt the past few hours dissolve completely._

Ivan clears his throat. I look over, a giddy smile on my face as I resist the urge to twirl again. A softness washes over Ivan for a moment, then he gets serious again.

"Your studies will begin tomorrow, for now just relax and get acquainted."

_Studies? _"Studies?"

"Yes. If you're going to be living with us and picking the future king, you need to learn about our country and our customs, not to mention palace etiquette."

Etiquette? _But I thought I was doing such a good job being polite, what am I missing?_

"I'll give you some points for dinner tonight, but it won't be enough to have you fully refined in time."

_Refined?_

"Now then, for starters, you'll have to wear something more conservative than what you have on right now. Is that how you dress in America?"

I look down at my outfit. I actually thought I was pretty covered up. Normally, I enjoy wearing low cut tops and short skirts (not necessarily together), but given that I'm in the Middle East, it only seemed appropriate not to wear such items out. I'm wearing a pair of blue jeans, white Converse sneakers, and a pink baby doll t-shirt. _How is this not conservative?_

I contemplate saying this is normal for me, but why start this journey with lies? The truth already saved me once; I need to stick with it. "Actually no, in America I normally wear less."

To my surprise, Ivan appears to be blushing. "Well, your outfit still is not appropriate dinner attire. I assume you've worn dresses in the past?"

_Oh I see, the issue isn't what's covered, it's that I'm wearing jeans? _"Oh yes sir, I love dresses!"

"There is no need to call me 'sir', Ivan will do just fine." He gives me another stern glance. "It should also be noted that you never address the King as 'sir' either. Always address him as 'Your Majesty' or 'Your Highness' or "Your Excellency" when first greeting him, and then use 'sire' the remainder of the time you are in his presence. Under different circumstances, he would have pointed this out himself, but he's often easily distracted by a pretty face, not to mention you're picking who inherits the throne."

_Looks like I'm already getting a lesson. _"Aww, you think I'm pretty?" I can't help but point that out, it's the first nice thing he's said about me.

He looks frustrated. "I sincerely hope that is not all you heard, or this is going to be a long month. Shall I repeat myself?"

"No sir…er…no Ivan. I heard you." _Sheesh._

"If that is true, then what would you call His Majesty after you first address him?"

I put my hands on my hips. "I'd call him 'sire', like you just said."

"Ah, you were listening. Certainly could have fooled me." He motions towards my arms. "Leave your arms at your side, Miss. It is not proper to be in a defensive stance unless one is fencing."

I find I'm having a hard time dropping them. "And what else is not proper?"

"I do not have time to list everything now, that would be counterproductive. As it were, we need to work on your attire. Dinner will be soon." He walks towards the closet, then glances back at me. "Arms down, Miss. If such an easy rule is this tough to obey, then it's only going to get harder on you."

I drop my arms, not for obedience sake, but because I really want to see this closet. Ivan nods, then opens the closet.

I gasp. It's empty, but that's not why I gasped. It's easily the biggest closet I've ever seen. I stand at the frame, almost afraid to go in lest I get lost. It appears to have the same shape as the uppercase letter I, with a section for shoes, pants, tops, dresses, skirts, accessories, even underwear. An entire level of any department store could probably fill this and it'd STILL have room left.

"Wow…"

Ivan contemplates the emptiness. "It would appear we got here prior to the furnishing. I'll make sure that gets taken care of during dinner. In the meantime, I shall summon a change of clothes for you."

He takes out a phone, hits a number, then speaks into it after a moment. He's speaking Arabic, but nothing sounds familiar. It wouldn't surprise me if, despite his polished nature, he's making fun of me right now. _Yep, let's all laugh at the American. He probably thinks I'm a twat, if he even uses words like that. Ha, I wonder how you say 'twat' in Arabic…_

"Pay attention, Miss!"

I snap out of my speculations. "I'm sorry, what?"

"Do not throw around apologies so casually, no one will believe you mean it if you do so."

_Ugh. _"That wasn't casual, I meant it. I'm always sincere when I apologize."

"I see." He clearly does not believe me. "Well, a few outfits shall arrive in a bit, hopefully one of them fits. Since they are being chosen for you, you'll know the exact expectation for dinner attire, as well as what is expected for a lady to wear in the palace."

I nod. "Great."

"I'll go over more etiquette while we wait and as you dress."

"Ummm…you're not going to stay here while I dress, are you?" I'm not shy, normally I don't care, but I'm not a fan of this Ivan. He's probably wishing the King had sent me to the gallows, or a firing squad, perhaps a kraken if he's particularly creative.

"I most certainly am. I need to make sure your outfit is appropriate. However, I shall give you privacy and not look."

I cross my arms. "Why can't you just leave then come back?"

"As I've already said, there is much to learn and not much time before dinner. A missed opportunity for knowledge means not only am I not doing my job, but your life is a little less fulfilled."

Well he's got me there, and yet I still don't want him in this room. "Well, if that's the case, then you might as well look."

He appears to be blushing again, but I can't be sure. "That would compromise my position as a gentleman."

I make a horse sound with my lips. _Gentleman indeed. _"You're policing everything else, might as well keep it going."

He frowns. "I am not policing anything; I am just doing my job."

"But how else will you know if my undergarments are refined enough for this royal dinner?" _Everything else needs to be up to code._

He looks frustrated again. "This sarcasm is not becoming of a lady. If you must insist on using this tone, then I suppose it's okay if you use it on me to get over it, but it will be unacceptable at the dinner table."

I cross my arms. He may be getting on my nerves, but it's obvious he's trying to make this go smoothly. That's clearly what he's used to, and I'm willing to bet everything goes as planned when he's around. "It matters that much to you, does it?"

"Yes. I know this is going to take some getting used to, and we do want you to feel welcome, but there are still rules to follow while you are here."

He's right. I may have had this huge responsibility thrust upon me, without my consent and after losing everything, but I have to make the best of it. Of course there are things to learn, did I really think I'd just be lounging around and oogling hot princes? _Yes, you totally did…_

_KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK!_

Ivan and I both look over at the door, which opens to reveal a large garment rack with a ton of outfits and accessories hanging from it. It's so large I don't even see the person who is pushing it in. This is his definition of a few outfits? _Damn, I don't think Belle had this many choices before having dinner with the Beast._

Ivan motions towards the rack once it comes to a stop. "Let's see how this goes."

* * *

"Honestly Miss, that should not have been that difficult."

I roll my eyes and tug at my coat. We're walking at a rapid pace down another hall, towards what I assume will be the dining room, and I look ridiculous. I'm wearing some kind of red, long sleeved, form fitting contraption that goes down to my ankles. I don't even know how to describe this thing, other than it's probably what Mrs. Claus would have worn to her prom, despite it not looking formal. To make it worse, Ivan insisted on an overcoat. Next thing I knew, I had a long, brown coat over me. _Grace Kelly I am not._

"Honestly Ivan, red on a red head? Have you ever dressed a woman before, let alone one with red hair?"

My guess is no. I can't decide if this is punishment for lollygagging or if he sincerely thinks this is a good looking outfit. I hope it's the former, because if this is the expectation for dress, I'm going to constantly disappointed people. The only saving grace tonight is I got to pick my own shoes.

Ivan shoots me a haughty glance. "I would not have had to pick an outfit for you if you had been better with your time."

"I couldn't help it. There were so many wonderful outfits to look at, is it so bad that I wanted to look at them all? And maybe I stared at that sparkly silver tube dress a little too long, but it was so sparkly! I wasn't really going to wear it to dinner…"

Ivan holds up a hand. "It's done, and you look fine. Do you remember everything I told you while you changed?"

Actually, I was so busy mourning the tragedy that is this dress that I only heard bits and pieces. Something about "too much food" and "right hand only". Well, whatever the etiquette rules, I should be fine as long as I sit up straight; chew with my mouth closed, then basically mimic what everyone else is doing.

"I think I do. Just one question: are we presented with one plate at a time like at a restaurant, or is it all in the center like family style dinner time?"

Ivan looks thoughtful. "That's actually a good question. Normally it's family style, as you call it. On special occasions, or when there's a great number of guests, each dish is presented one at a time. Dessert is always presented at the end."

_Alright, this won't be so bad. _

Ivan stops in front of another set of double doors, which look identical to the throne room doors. "Are you ready?"

I'm suddenly very nervous. I thought I had this, but now I just feel like a Barbie Doll: completely blank, donned in an outfit that matches the situation with nothing else to contribute. _No, don't do that, you got this._

I clap my hands. "Yes, I'm ready."

Ivan opens the doors, and we both walk in. The king and all the princes are sitting at a rather long dinner table. King Tamir is at the head, and the princes are all sitting on either side, split into threes. I'm trying to remember who is who when they all look over my way and stand up. I'm taken aback by such hotness (and royalty) standing up for me, but I realize they are just being polite. _Even so, I've never had this happen to me before, and I seem to be stuck in place._

Ivan takes notice, and walks on forward until he's at the king's side. Seeing him walk snaps me out of it and I walk forward as well. Everyone is still standing, and I scan the table quickly looking for an empty seat. I kind of expected to be on the end opposite of the king, just so the seating would be even, but instead I see an empty seat between the blonde (_Prince Lambert, was it?_) and the red head (_Prince Alvin? No…Alvah, I think_). I walk over to it quickly. Prince Alvah scoots the chair out for me.

I smile. "Thank you," I say, bowing my head quickly. He smiles back. I assume they can all sit once I do, so I sit and scoot my chair in. Already, Ivan is cringing. _Crap, what did I do?_

Everyone sits down, and suddenly, a string of servants appear. Each one stands behind a chair, and scoots them in. _Oh, I was supposed to wait for them? To push in my chair? But that hardly seems necessary…_

"Good evening, foreign maiden." King Tamir says, smiling at me. "Don't you look stunning? I've always enjoyed a lady in red."

_Ah, Ivan did pick this dress on purpose. However, he could have picked a better red one! This is not a good looking dress, so either the king's being polite or he's feeding me a line. _Whatever the reason, it feels good to hear something besides scolding. I smile at him. "Thank you, your Majesty, and thank you for the amazing accommodations! My room is absolutely beautiful."

He continues to smile. "Beauty for beauty, and think nothing of it. Only the best for the one who is to pick the next king."

I find myself blushing. King Tamir nods, and the servants (who disappeared quickly and are now back) begin to put a number of elegant dishes in front of us. The food looks and smells so good, I can't think of anything to call it besides gorgeous. _Uh oh, its family style!_

I look around. Everyone is looking at me, and no one is reaching for anything. Right, the guest goes first. So much for being able to mimic others. _Oh man…what do I do?_ I look at all the food and try to figure it out. _Do I ask for something to be passed? How do I ask for it? What direction do I receive it? Pass it? Do I just reach out for whatever I want? How much do I take?_

Prince Lambert looks annoyed. "First, you arrive late, and now you continue to keep the rest of us from eating?"

I look over at him. "I apologize, I don't know where to start."

I don't like admitting that, but perhaps someone will give me a hint as to what should happen next. They just continue to stare at me eagerly, except Prince Lambert, who sighs.

"Take whatever you like, surely Ivan went over that with you."

_Ivan is going to kill me. _I glance over at Ivan, and sure enough, his look matches my thoughts. _Great, more scolding is coming my way. Well, since I'm already in trouble…_

I pick up my plate, hold it close to some yummy looking chicken in front of me, and put some on my plate. I'm still getting stared at, so I continue. Couscous, falafel balls, and even a few things I don't recognize. I set my plate down. _That was it, right? I try everything so no one is insulted?_

I look around. I'm still getting stared at. I look from side to side. "What?"

Prince Alvah nods towards my plate. "Aren't you going to try it?"

"Oh, uh, yes, yes of course." I was going to wait for everyone else before starting, but apparently, I've goobered up yet again. I pick up my knife and fork and carve into the chicken. I stick a piece in my mouth and try to chew daintily, but this is easily the best chicken I've ever had in my life! It's so juicy and flavorful, and I'm immediately aware of how hungry I am. Before I can stop myself, I start shoveling food in like I haven't eaten in weeks. _God, this is so good…_

Prince Alvah starts laughing. "Wow, you sure can eat!"

The oldest prince, who's sitting right across from me, seems amused as well. "I like a woman with a healthy appetite."

I swallow my current bite and pause. "This is so delicious! You must have the best chefs in the world!" I go right back into my food.

Prince Lambert continues to look annoyed. "If you must insist on eating like a horse, perhaps you'd feel more comfortable in the palace stables."

I stop midbite. I look around. Everyone is eating calmly and modestly, and they're not all staring at me anymore. I don't really know what to say in return. Under different circumstances, I'd shove my face into my plate and eat like a pig to make everyone wish I was eating like a horse, but I can't very well do that now.

Prince Alvah peers around me towards Prince Lambert. "Got to be so harsh?"

Prince Lambert doesn't even bother to return the glance and stays concentrated on his plate. "If one is going to sit at this table, the proper etiquette should be obeyed."

The oldest prince kind of rolls his eyes, and the prince with the lilac hair looks up. "In some cultures, eating as such is considered a compliment."

I look over at him and smile (_he had an odd name too, what was it?)_. His eyes go immediately back to his plate. _Oh, that's right, he's a bit of an introvert. _Prince Lambert ignores him and continues eating.

Prince Alvah chuckles. "The cooks will be pleased." He motions towards Lambert. "He's got the best manners out of all of us, want to guess who has the worst?"

_Let me guess. _"Me?"

He laughs. "No, it's me. I think you may have been seated between us for that reason, to see the right way and the wrong way."

"You? But you're doing so well! Why would you say that?" I eat another bite of chicken.

The maroon haired prince (_I believe he's Prince Jun, that was an easier one to remember_) on one side of the oldest scoffs. "He's right, he really needs to work on his manners."

Prince Alvah shoots Prince Jun an annoyed glance, then looks back at me. "It's true. I only look like I'm doing well because there's a guest to impress." He smiles at me.

Now it's my turn to laugh. As I do, I swallow the chicken wrong and start coughing. Despite Prince Alvah's relaxing words, I am mortified and don't know what to do. I can't stop coughing, but I can't exactly spit the chicken out. I look at my place setting in a panic as the eyes of everyone around me start to go wide. My eyes rest on the gold goblet in front of me. _Water, yes! I need a drink! _I grab it and start chugging.

Two things happen at once: I realize very quickly that I am drinking wine instead of water, and Prince Lambert smacks me on the back.

_SLLLLLLLIIIIISSSSSHHHH!_

My body lunges forward at the strength of the smack, and whatever wine didn't make it down my throat sprays out of my mouth. All eyes go wide, but none as wide as mine as I inhale deeply, the wine still burning my unprepared throat.

"Oh my…" I stutter out, looking at the wine covered food. "I am so sorry!" I look over at King Tamir, who's looking at me in shock. "_Anna assifa, ya saheb as-samu, anna assifa!_"

Before the King can say anything, the oldest prince (_I still can't remember his name_) looks over at Prince Lambert. "Why did you do that? You could have hurt her!"

The little one, Prince Nagit, is full of concern. "Are you alright, Miss?"

I'm about to nod when Prince Lambert's voice booms next to me.

"I was trying to help, I thought she was choking. Do you want a commoner dying at the dinner table?"

_Commoner?! _I whip my head towards him. "I wasn't choking, you can tell because I was still making sound, but for the record, never do that if someone is choking! You could make it worse!"

He looks surprised, but then his eyes go firm. "What are you, a medical professional?"

"No, I'm a teacher, but anyone can choke anytime and anywhere so one should always be prepared." I look over at Prince Nagit. "I'm alright, thank you for asking."

Next thing I know, Ivan is by my seat. "I'll take her back to her room at once, your Majesty."

King Tamir looks surprised. "Ivan, that's hardly necessary."

Ivan is already scooting my chair back. "Oh, but it is."

King Tamir shrugs. "Well, if you insist." He looks over at me. "I look forward to our next dinner."

_He's probably the only one!_


	3. Chapter 3: Dance Floor of Deceit?

**The MC will steadily be spending one on one time with all the princes from here on out. **

**Totally random side note (sharing cause I think it's interesting): I wanted to name the chapters that introduce each prince further after the meaning of their names, but that ended quickly when the only meaning for Chezem I found was basically "holy cheese land". I found no meaning for Nagit, Jun's name had a few different meanings depending on which Japanese character is used for it (the most common one being "genuine"), Melchiorre means "King City", Alvah means different things depending on the language (the most common one being "sublime"), and Lambert means "bright land".**

* * *

After dinner, I went right to bed. Well, not right to bed, because Ivan sure as hell was going to speak his mind about the great shame I put upon him, but I got to bed after that. I never wanted to fall asleep and forget so badly in my life; I was out the minute I hit the Egyptian cotton sheets and memory foam pillow.

_WHOOSH!_

My eyes shoot open. "Ah! What the…"

I instinctively tuck up my now naked legs. My bed sheets have been pulled off. I rub my sleepy eyes as my quickly cooling body alerts me that I'm not going to be falling back asleep. _Morning already?_ _What kind of wakeup call is this? Why didn't my alarm go off?_

"Did I not instruct you to wake up early? It's 7 am, you should already be up!"

_7 am?! Oh it's a sad, sad day when your alarm clock gets to sleep longer than you do. _I peer over. Ivan has my covers piled by his feet. How he got them all off cleanly in one swift motion is beyond me. _Good thing I decided to wear pajamas to bed._

Thoughts jumble around as I try to think about how to respond, but being that I'm still between sleep and awake, my mouth takes over for my mind.

"Go away." I tuck my legs up further and hug the pillow. After all the things Ivan scolded me on last night (I drank too soon, I ate too fast, I ate too much, I waited too long, I used the wrong hand, I was rude to the princes, I disrespected the cooks by ruining their food, I talked with food in my mouth, I even coughed wrong and blah blah blah blah blah!), I was determined to wake up in better spirits and be the very definition of success, but all I want right now is sleep.

_WHOOSH!_

I kind of face plant into the mattress. Ivan just grabbed my pillow as well. _Oh, this is a great start. _My eyes slowly close as I readjust my head and get comfortable. "Just five more minutes…" I mutter, knowing that five will turn into ten and so on and so forth if he gives me an inch.

Next thing I know, I'm hovering above my mattress_. Am I still dreaming? I do love flying dreams…no, wait, he's carrying me?! _This man is not only unwilling to give me an inch, he's not even giving me a nanometer.

He carries me a short distance and sets me down. Now I'm sitting in my vanity chair. I lean my elbows on the vanity and prop my head up. I look in the mirror and yawn, my eyes trying to fully open and come to life. I see Ivan's reflection in the mirror. He's behind me, standing in his permanent state of at attention, bathed in sunlight, and he does not look happy.

"You're mean." I mutter, rubbing my face. _This does not seems real, maybe I truly am dreaming and he's not really there._

"This has nothing to do with emotion Miss. You're supposed to get up early; I won't have you disrespecting everyone's schedule because you'd rather sleep in."

_He speaks. _"Ah, this isn't a dream. You're actually here, and you really just stripped me off my bed."

"Beds are not made to wallow in. Make haste, you have a full day ahead of you."

I look at his reflection. "For gosh sakes Ivan, give me a second."

I look down at my black satin nightie. The pajama section of my closet was nothing but lingerie, which I suppose was the King's way of subtly hinting at his sexual proclivities and the possibility of me partaking in them (_still can't believe I've got an outstanding invite into a harem)_. I wonder if he understands the majority of lingerie is for aesthetic purposes only, not comfort. What I have on was one of the few choices I could actually sleep in, but it still looks like I'm off to a lingerie party to seduce everything within a 10 foot radius. If I didn't know better, I'd say this was the reason Ivan picked me up, but our short time together has taught me he's all business. _I should accuse him of being a dirty old man and see what happens. _I giggle at the thought.

"I fail to see the humor in not being punctual, Miss."

I continue to look in the mirror. Having it in front of me keeps me aware of my facial expressions, so I manage not to scowl at Ivan. His reflection is getting closer.

"It appears you are now fully awake, get up and get ready. Breakfast will be soon, and after that, we shall begin your charm lessons."

_Charm lessons? _He stands beside me and puts a hand on my arm. I can tell he's about to guide me up, so I slid off the chair in the opposite direction and stand up. "I can do it myself, thank you."

I look him straight in the monocle. "Or do you have to dress me in the morning as well?"

Ivan shakes his head. "It would not have been necessary for me to get you up if you could get yourself up. I know it's your first morning here, but that's no excuse. I am sure it is not permissible in your country to be late to your first day of work over sleep, and you have a job to fulfill here. I hope you can get yourself up tomorrow."

_Ugh, no one said to get up and be ready by 7! Or did they? There's been so much…_

"Get dressed Miss. If you're quick, perhaps I'll allow you to pick your lesson for the day. Now then, to review meal etiquette…"

Ivan's voice fades to the background as I realize I haven't brushed my teeth yet. I instinctively cover my mouth then head towards the bathroom. _Great, the number of men who have had the pleasure to experience my morning breath just went up, and I didn't even get to romp with this one…not that I would. Ha, I bet he's all prim and proper even in bed, responds all serious like to commands with "As you wish." _I giggle again.

"Miss, just what about 'use your right hand instead of your left hand' is humorous to you?"

"Nothing, Ivan." _He probably says that in bed too. _I stifle back another giggle and try to pay attention.

* * *

After expediting my morning hygiene routine and getting dressed, Ivan leads me to the dining hall. To my surprise, I am the only one present. Ivan explains that breakfast is unlike dinner, in that there is no exact start time and anyone can show up any time before eight. This is apparently because the princes all have such different schedules. Why he rushed me just so I could eat alone is beyond me, as is why he's just now telling me this, but at least I get to practice etiquette without quips from the princes. I finish up and Ivan nods.

"That went well, I hope you apply what you've learned to dinner. Would you like to hear the options for your charm lessons?"

"Must we call them that? You make it sound as if I'm some type of ogre who's never been in polite society."

For a moment, Ivan appears to smirk. "That is just their title, it's what they've been called for ages. No one is insulting you. Now then, you've spent time working on etiquette and how to dress, I see no reason to continue that for today. That leaves posture, penmanship, horseback riding, social dance, language, and history. Depending on how the month proceeds, we may add philanthropy and wine tasting to that."

_Whoa. _"You want me to master all of that?"

He gives a polite chuckle. "Not even every one of the princes has mastered all of that. I just want to give you a good foundation, and hopefully you'll pass as a lady during your time with us."

'_Hopefully you'll pass as a lady during your time with us'. _Apparently now all I'm doing is a subpar impression of one anyone can see through. Stupid Ivan. I feel like squawking his observations back at him in the most irritating voice I can muster, but all that would prove is that I'm capable of being a parrot, not a lady. _Oh, but you're not really a lady, are you? You're 100% pure, grade A woman, and woman does not a lady make_.

I think about my options. "Okay, I want to dance then." I love to dance. I know I'm not about to learn the kind of dancing I'm good at, but any kind of dance is worth perfecting.

Ivan nods. "You'll need a partner then, I'll see if one of the princes is available." He takes out his phone and speaks into it after punching a few numbers. _I wonder who he's talking to._ I imagine there's a command center somewhere in this palace where a bunch of big, burly, _Terminator _looking men are watching everything that happens on huge plasma screens and report to Ivan. _Or maybe I just hope that._

I'm a little surprised Ivan is not going to be my partner. Maybe he can't dance. Maybe it's improper. Maybe he'll finally attend to other butler duties…

"Looks like Master Jun is available," says Ivan, hanging up his phone. "You're in luck; you'll have a fine dancing partner. All the princes can dance well, but it seems to come naturally to Master Jun."

_Prince Jun? The one who constantly looks fierce, like a tiger about to pounce on its prey?_

Ivan motions towards the door. "Come along, to the dance hall we go. You'll be with Master Jun alone, I must attend to other business."

_Of course there's a dance hall. I really need to get a tour._

* * *

Ivan weaves me this way and that, to and fro, over the desert and through the woods, until we finally reach the dance hall. Ivan escorts me in then kind of mysteriously disappears.

Like everything else in this palace, it's huge. It bears a striking resemblance to Shanghai's Paramount Ballroom, only the crystal chandelier in the middle of the ceiling is more lavish and gold trim accents the walls. In the middle of the dance floor stands Prince Jun, who has the stance of a man who thinks all eyes are perpetually on him. I can't say I blame him. All the princes are hot, but there's something about Prince Jun that makes him seem exotic, and I bet he knows it too.

He surveys me as I walk towards him. "Ah, hello wine spritzer!"

_Har de har har. _"It's nice to see you too, Prince Jun."

He gives a quick nod. "It would appear I'm now partially responsible for turning you from a cow's hide into a designer purse." He looks me up and down again. "You know, one could beautifully gift wrap trash and those being presented with it would think they're receiving something wonderful, but not me. I see past the wrapping. In this case, I'm sure the package reflects the prize."

_Well if that don't take the cake. _

He smirks and holds out his arms like he's welcoming a hug. "At the very least, this is a good outfit for dancing."

I'm a little surprised Ivan was okay with my choice, especially since I don't have a cover on. It's a dress, but it's shorter than the one I had on at dinner and comes just above my knees. It's strapless, sweetheart cut, and flows out at the waist. These are all features I enjoy, but I picked it because it's buttercup yellow. I love yellow, and it's so hard to find clothes that are the perfect shade of yellow. _Maybe he felt bad about last night, or maybe yellow makes him hot.  
_

I smile. "I didn't know I was going to be dancing, but I look forward-"

He suddenly grabs my wrist and pulls me towards him. I immediately crash into his front.

"Oof!" I gasp, trying to regain my composure while he drops my wrist and puts an arm around my waist.

"We're not here to talk, we're here to dance." He snaps his fingers, and classical music begins to play. _How did he do that? _"We'll start with the waltz, then work our way up to more complicated moves and the country's traditional dance. I'll try not to make it complex; I just hope you can keep up."

He holds me closer, and puts my left hand on his shoulder while he picks up my right hand and holds it up. The arm he has around my waist slowly slinks up my back and rests on my shoulder blade. Now that he's closer, I catch his scent. He smells spicy, like myrrh. _It suits him; really adds to his appeal._

"Prize indeed." He mutters.

"What?"

His smirk returns. "Ready? 1, 2, 3, 4!"

With that, he guides me around the dance floor. I've never waltzed before, and I have no idea how hard it's going to be. However, he's clearly used to being in the lead, and having a strong leader makes all the difference. I allow myself to go limp, and glide along with the motions. A few box steps, he holds me and releases me, and never takes his eyes off me. It continues like this until the song's end. No stumbles, no hesitation, I think we just pulled off a perfect first time waltz!

"Hmm, not bad. Let's see how you do with a foxtrot." He snaps his fingers; a jaunty 1940s era song comes on.

Once again, he guides me naturally across the floor, as if I am a feather and he is the wind. The lack of verbal direction makes this dance more difficult than the last, but if the wind blows hard enough, a feather obediently takes direction without the slightest pause. Slow steps, quick steps, and even a few slight dips just to mix it up a bit. His eyes look deep into mine the whole time. I can't get a read; either he's impressed or annoyed that he can't trip me up. I try to hide my excitement; this is going so well!

The song ends. He drops my hand but keeps his other hand on my shoulder blade.

"You've done this before, haven't you?"

I shake my head. "No, you're just a good dancer." I really like dancing with him_. I should pay better attention to the steps; not everyone is going to be able to dance the way he does._

He gives me a skeptical glance. "I know, I dance the way a king should, for a king leads in all situations." _Ha, how very subtle. _He peers down at my legs then looks back in my eyes, an angry look on his face. "Why must you turn my dance floor into a floor of lies?"

_What? _"Who's lying? You just said yourself you know how great you are."

"I mean about never having done this before." His free hand suddenly gives my right thigh a quick little smack. "These are legs of experience; don't insult my floor by pretending like it can't tell the difference."

_Oh geez_. "Slow your roll homie. I've never ballroom danced before, but that doesn't mean I don't do other types of dancing."

His harsh eyes remain locked on mine, and he starts to squeeze the skin above my shoulder blade. "I am not familiar with this 'homie' term, but I'll thank you not to call me that. I am Prince Jun and you will address me as such, unless my title changes."

I jerk away from his touch. "And I'll thank you not to pinch me or smack me, **Prince Jun.**"_So much for things going well. _

He sticks his nose in the air while keeping his eyes locked with mine. "Time to kick it up a notch. Let's see how well you handle a tango." He extends out a hand.

I stomp my foot forward before slapping my hand into his. "Bring it on."

He snaps his fingers. Up starts a fast paced, wildly passionate sounding Latin beat. He pulls me into him and instantly begins the steps. I don't think, I just do. _This man is not going to win._

Prince Jun has put himself in quite the position; he's such a strong leader that I can't help but be a good partner, so I can't really stumble unless he does, and he wants me to mess up badly. However, doing this means he'd have to mess up too, and I know he won't do it.

Then he finds the loophole. He whips his head from side to side, in time with the music. His earrings smack me in the face.

"Watch it!" I shout, though their soft touch flicking against my face leaves me intrigued. They are unlike any of the other jewelry pieces I've seen the other princes wear, and I'm curious.

"Why do all of you wear so much jewelry, and what's the story behind your earrings?"

He keeps us moving. I half expect him to say 'less conversation and more action', instead he actually answers. "Jewelry has been genderized by Western culture. It's a shame really. Jewelry is neither male nor female; it is simply a form of self-expression."

He twirls me under his arm then brings me back to him. "In our case, it is also a sign of status. Our ears were pierced as babies, and we all donned with gold studs as our first pair. This happens to no one else in the country, just us."

He moves me backwards at a rapid pace, the music pounds on. "It symbolizes that greatness starts at birth, as well the as heft of our responsibility."

His hand pushes against mine and he lets go. Our free hands wave out, and the others slide quickly down each other's arm until our hands meet and our fingers grasp together. "For me, it is not enough to be great."

He pulls me back towards him. I curl myself into his arm until it's wrapped around me and my chest is pushed against his. He puts his free hand under my chin and lifts my head up to meet his gaze. "I want to be the best."

His hand moves from my chin to my shoulder, and he pushes me away. I unroll from his arm, hold my free arm out gracefully, and he pulls me back to him again. Our free hands clasp together and he starts to move us around the floor again. "Part of being the best is looking your best, which means wearing the best."

He twirls me a few times. My hair flies out around me, like a cascade of monarch butterflies is floating around me. He pulls me back in closely. "My earrings are an expression of all of that. The light blue stone is the rarest form of aquamarine that's ever been found, and from it hangs an extinct type of cashmere. All exclusive, and all the best."

He dips me real low, and the song stops. His earrings dangle down towards me and tickle my throat. I find myself breathing more deeply than I thought I'd be. His eyes lock with mine, and coupled together with his smirk, it looks as though he's barely holding back a salacious proposal.

"Did that answer your question?"

_Wow. _I struggle to get my thoughts in order. "Uh…almost. Why aquamarine?"

He leans in closer, the cashmere continues to brush my throat and awakens sensations of lust. "It's my birthstone, that's why."

_March huh? He didn't strike me as someone who was brought into life during the same time Earth's flowers rouse from their long winter sleep, but maybe I'm missing something here. _

He leans closer still until his face is an inch away from mine. I sink further into the raw, tantalizing feeling rushing through my veins.

"Give me the bracelet."

My eyes go wide. "What?"

"You heard me. It is the only thing in life that prevents me from actually being the best, and I want it."

My eyes narrow. "I will not."

His mouth goes into a firm line, and his harsh look returns. "I gave you plenty of proof, and I am helping you out. I've earned it, and you will give it to me."

"I've known you less than 24 hours, and this is not a decision meant to be taken lightly. It requires time and careful consideration, the future of this country deserves nothing less."

_BANG!_

"Ow!"

Once I completed my input, Prince Jun dropped me. I was close to the ground, but it hurt anyway. Prince Jun stands hovering over me like nothing happened.

He looks down at me and crosses his arms. "We are done for today."

I rub the back of my head and then shake my fist at him. "Pout all you want, little boy. Go on, see how far it gets you."

He steps over me so that he has one leg on either side of my hips, then he stares me down. "Or maybe we'll resume if you can learn to play nice."

_I'm the one who needs to play nice?! _I'm tempted to trip him. "Nah, I think I'll go back to my room and polish the bracelet." Now he looks pissed. I start to sit up. "You can go back to your room and cry to your teddy bear, little boy."

With that, he takes a step forward so that his feet are now right by my elbows. He then crouches down over me and hovers in a menacing fashion, folded arms resting on his knees and his royal blue eyes looking like the darkest before the dawn. _Real mature._

I find this humorous. Prince Jun isn't really all that little; he's got an athletic build and is at least six inches taller than I am. However, he's younger than I am (which, up until now, I forgot about), and I always have a hard time taking younger men seriously because they inevitably act like this.

"I told you, you will call me Prince Jun and nothing else. Apologize."

He can't bully me. "No."

"Perhaps I shall hire an alchemist to make a perfume called Charm for you; that's clearly the closest you're ever going to come to having any of your own." He untucks his arms and slowly places his hands on my arms. "I said apologize."

Despite the zing, I can't help but laugh at the absurdity of this. "Oh yes, this is the most majestic behavior I've ever seen come from a man. How could I of been so blind? You were clearly meant to be king."

His eyes go wide. He stands back up, and walks away from me. He doesn't say a word as he leaves the dance hall, it is silent but for the sound of his heels clicking against the floor. Each step vibrates his energy back to me, and he's clearly a force to be reckoned with.

I stand up and brush off my dress. I'm a little disappointed everything ended the way it did; how could a man I danced so beautifully with act so wickedly? Well, let him pout. He obviously needs to learn some things can't be forced, which is a good lesson for someone who wants to be king.

I scan the room quickly. I do not see a music player of any sort, nor do I see evidence of speakers. _Hmm, I wonder…_

I snap my fingers. Nothing. _He DID he do that?!_


	4. Chapter 4: Labyrinth

"Well, shoot…"

I've left the dance hall, and I've come to the quick realization that I don't know where I am. I just assumed I'd have a guide back. _Why didn't I ask for a tour sooner? I'll be wandering around forever._

Suddenly, a pair of hands cover my eyes and pulls me close.

"What?!"

Immediately I reach up and touch the hands. They're not Ivan's or Prince Jun's. I slowly brush my fingers over the tops. They're clearly male, all big and strong, and the way they're teasingly yet tenderly placed over my eyes leads me to believe they're highly experienced hands too. Whoever it is is purposely not speaking, so I look for another clue. I inhale deeply. _Musk. A really rich, animalistic musk. _It's so natural that this man may as well have a freshly hunted deer wrapped around his neck; it certainly would add on yet another layer of manliness.

"Ah, you smell my _Musc Tonkin_, and your body's reaction tells me you like it."

Before the voice registers, the hands fall from my eyes then spin me around. When I stop, I'm looking up into the flirty eyes of the oldest prince. He smiles broadly and winks. "Carnal, isn't it?"

_Oh hell, I've still forgotten his name, possibly my own as well. Quick! It started with an M! Don't let him think you forgot!_

"Hello Prince Mel…Melky…Melkyee?"

_Nice work, nerd._

He laughs a deep, hearty laugh and pulls me in closer for a hug. "Well, aren't you adorable? I'm Melchiorre, but Melkyee is pretty damn close."

_Whew. _Automatically, my arms go around him as well. Pulled in close like this, the musk scent gets stronger. _He smells so good. _"I'm sorry Prince Melchiorre, I should have asked instead of guessing. I've never heard your name before, do you know its origins?"

"Indeed I do! It's Italian, like my mother. She wanted me to have a good, strong name from her homeland!"

_His mother? _I was wondering about the mom situation around here. At first, I assumed they all had the same mom, but they look so different that I never would have guessed they were even related. I heard ladies in harems weren't allowed to have kids, so are their moms even in the harem? How planned were the princes? How did the King pick who would have his kids? I'm dying to ask but it seems too personal at this point.

"I'm sorry for butchering it and disrespecting your mother, you just look so much like a Mel."

He laughs again. "Do I? Even more than a Melkyee? Then by all means sweetheart, call me Mel. None of this prince stuff either, just Mel. It's sweet of you to be concerned about my mom, but what Mama don't know won't hurt her."

My guess is that, in his case, there's probably a lot his mama doesn't know and it'd send her into cardiac arrest if she ever found out. "You sure that's okay?"

"Yes, it sounds right coming from those delicious lips of yours." He takes his right hand off my back and places it on my cheek. His thumb softly traces my lower lip. "How about you give me another taste in the near future?"

I giggle_. What a charmer; I haven't even had boyfriends speak so romantically to me._ _Mmm…he is a good kisser, and I can always use a good kiss. _Between his charisma and the trance his cologne has me in, I'm inclined to oblige on the spot. _No girl, focus! Remember the task at hand!_

"All in good time Mel, right now I was wondering if you might do me a favor?"

His hand slides under my chin and he cocks my head up to meet his soft, sage green eyes (_ha, I wonder if all of them have the same moves)_. "Anything you want."

I smile. "I'm lost, and being that I'm going to be here for a month, I should probably know my surroundings. Could you please give me a tour?"

"I would love to, come along." He grabs my hand and we're flying down the hall. I don't really understand why no one around here can seem to just walk; makes me feel like I've been going through life at a snail's place until now.

"This is the hall of entertainment. I saw you come out of the dance hall, so no need to point that out." He looks over at me as we flow down the hall. "Sorry I wasn't the one to take you by the hand and twirl you into delight. You look like a lady who likes to be twirled."

_He's good. _"Ha ha, doesn't every woman?"

"I said lady, not woman, and you'd be surprised."

_He thinks I'm a lady? Awww…he must have noticed Ivan's facial expressions during dinner and felt bad for me. _"What else is down this hall?"

Mel begins pointing at doors as we go flying past them. "Oh the standards…billiards room, music room, bowling alley, theatre, I think the gym is still here too…"

_Standards? Bowling alley?! This palace must have everything! _I pull on his hand to try and slow him down. "That's awesome! Can we look at them?"

He ignores my resistance and pulls me onwards. "Now that you know where they are, you can come back later. Come on, there's more to see, and then we can have some real fun!"

_Real fun? _"What do you mean by that?"

"It's a surprise! Father said to treat you well, and I intend to. Now then, you've seen the dining hall, the sleeping quarters…"

The tour continues in this fashion. Every time I try to get a word in edgewise about wanting to see something further, he either tells me that I can come back later or that it's not interesting. He's not going to win any docent of the year awards anytime soon, but he is giving me a tour like he said he would, so I don't have much reason to complain.

"And finally, the main entrance." He releases my hand and does a little bow of sorts in front of the main double door. "The doorway to adventure." He opens the right side. It's immediately held open by what I assume are the outdoor guards. Mel nods towards the outdoors and holds a hand out towards it. "After you, my lady."

I take his lead and step out the door. The palace alcove looks completely different in the day than it did at night. For starters, the sun beautifully illuminates the driveway and the garden that leads down to the main gate. _It's so long, I didn't realize how big the front of the palace was. _

The black Rolls Royce Ivan picked me up in waits before us. A chauffeur gets out and opens the back door. Mel gestures towards it. "Adventure awaits."

* * *

"Mel, is this necessary? I'd like to see where I'm going."

He's got his hands over my eyes again and is leading me forward. The Rolls Royce stopped in front of what appeared to be an oceanside park, but I barely got a glimpse before Mel's hands went over my eyes.

He chuckles. "Patience, my dear. This is just going to make everything better, and don't worry, I won't let anything happen to you."

Despite his being quite forward and the innate flirtiness of his nature, I feel I can trust Mel. There's a sense of camaraderie between us that makes everything flow naturally. I doubt he sees it this way, but who knows what the next moment will bring?

We finally stop in front of what feels like a concrete fence. I fold my arms and rest on it. Mel slowly moves his hands away, and I blink a few times to adjust to the light. When I do, I see we are in a park, and we are overlooking a beach. Under the afternoon sun, everything looks pristine as the waves wash ashore, and no one is around except the two of us.

"Oh wow." Is all I can manage to say.

He walks up beside me and puts his arm around me. "Beautiful, isn't it?"

I stare at the skyline in utter awe. "Under different circumstances, I'd say the king himself probably doesn't have such a great view. However, having met the king and stayed at the palace, I have no words. I am speechless."

He pats my shoulder and holds his free arm out towards the sea. "Then let me words entwine with your thoughts, and perhaps together, we can create a scene worthy of a timeless novel."

_Damn, if his language gets anymore flowery, he'll be spitting out roses. _"You can read my thoughts, can you?"

"I can if you let me look into the windows to your soul; those beautiful greens that looks like they chase winter's ice away and summon forth brand new leaves on the trees."

_And there go the roses. _I'd be lying if I said I wasn't enjoying this, I just don't get what makes this man tick. I get the feeling it's not just me inspiring this behavior. Despite that, I'm not about to stop him. I turn and face him. He looks away from the sun and at me. His eyes go soft and he slowly smiles. The arm he has around my back pulls me closer. He gestures back out towards the skyline.

"But had the angels sung in color the day Helen of Troy was born, the sun still would have paled in comparison to how it shines now." He leans in.

"When Aphrodite was pushed ashore in her giant seashell, the sand did not glisten beneath her feet as it does now." He leans in further, the hand on my back moves in a slow caress, his cologne drifts softly in the afternoon breeze.

"I could melt a thousand Hope diamonds to try to match the splendor of the sea, but it would only capture a fraction of its current beauty." He's now an inch away from my lips, his eyes closing. I'm falling into the depths of his words, and just as his lips are about to touch mine…

"You talk this way to all women, don't you?"

His eyes open, but he makes no effort to move away. "Not exactly."

"Not exactly?" _What does he mean by that?_

He smiles, his lips so close that it's almost awkward that we are not kissing. "All women are lovely, so all women inspire poetry. However, each one is unique, and therefore so are the words that come forth in their honor."

_Ah ha, that's it. _"You sure love women."

He winks. "I do; every shape and size, of all classes, colors and creeds."

"Then I don't understand why you shun the crown, because at the very least, you could have a harem like your father." Not that I condone that, but if he loves women so much, it would fit him. In the car, he wouldn't talk about his reason for not wanting to be king, but maybe he will now.

He frowns. "I do not wish to own women, they do not belong in a cage with clipped wings and waiting solemnly for attention; they deserve to take flight and bless the sky with their presence."

_Guess he doesn't condone it either._

He smiles again. "Wasn't expecting that, were you? Permit me another taste of those delectable lips?"

_He's determined not to talk about this. _"How many tastes does it take to satisfy a prince?"

He frowns again. "I told you, I do not care for that title." His arm drops off my back and he straightens up. "It's only your second day here, must you be so serious in your duties? Why can't we just get to know each other?"

It's my turn to frown. _How does he not see how important this is? _"Were you anyone else, I'd gladly get lost in your kisses and fall into sweet oblivion, no matter the reason. However, my duty is the only reason I know who you are at all."

He crosses his arms. "You'd deny me over a title I never had any control over? I suppose this means your duty the only reason you're spending time with me?"

"No. I'd like to know more about you, not just because you're a candidate for the throne and my housemate, but because you seem like a genuine person." He really does. I wonder if he'll let me see more beyond his flirtatious ways.

I continue. "You, on the other hand, only seem interested in tasting me, touching me, and wooing me. Can't you focus for even a moment on something else?"

He faces away from me and looks towards the sea. "To taste a woman is to feel the core of her being through her lips, so how could I not know her? The day we met, your gentle heart flowed onto my lips. I take your hand, and your love of life flows from your fingers tips to mine. Your eyes shine with intelligence when I look deep into them, and the feel of your back as you stand tall tells me you brim with confidence. Finally, honesty and sensuality just seems to pour right off your skin." He looks at me out the corner of his eye. "Did I have that all wrong?"

_Wow. _I lean forward against the fence as he is and look out at the view. "Perhaps we need a do over. You see things in a way I never thought about before."

He chuckles. "You must like to talk; those who do often fail to see other modes of communication."

I laugh. He's got me there. "Maybe you're right, maybe words can't express some things. It just sounds so trite to say 'more than words', you know?"

"I do." He faces me. "A do over is hardly necessary, I've been enjoying the way things have been going. I hope it continues further, you are good company."

I blush. "Well thank you, so are you. Maybe next time I'll be able to learn more about you." I think about how he saw the core of my personality with the simplest of touches. Maybe I know more about him then I think I do, I just need to look at it another way. "And thank you for all the kind things you said about me."

"It wasn't out of kindness, it was out of honesty. Now then, what's say we take a stroll and continue to enjoy this lovely afternoon of Ludus?" He holds his hand out towards me. I smile and take it. Palm to palm once again, I now see what he means. _He is genuine, and he's got a heart of gold. _I feel my smile growing. Mel looks down at our hands then back at me. "You're a fast learner, I like it." He begins walking towards the dirt path we arrived on. "So, if I promise to be on my best behavior, think I can get another chance to put you into sweet oblivion?"

I laugh and punch him in the shoulder. "So I can forget everything Ivan's taught me, as well as where I put the bracelet? I was spared from death and given this duty after losing everything I came to this country with…"

_Oops, I was trying to make a joke, where did that come from? _A sense of uncertainty washes over me and my steps slow down. I just realized that I never really processed what happened. _With all the newfound responsibility, I let my task take precedence over what happened in my hotel, because I want to succeed, but shoot…all my belongings, my passport is probably being sold on the black market, how am I going to get home?_

Mel stops walking and looks over at me. My thoughts must be written all over my face because he holds my hand a little tighter and starts stroking the top with his fingers. "Father mentioned the theft at dinner, after you left. I'm glad he told us. I think you're very brave to be taking on this task after all that."

He steps in closer, a caring look on his face. "Don't worry, nobody wants you to fail. This is why I wanted you to relax a little and enjoy yourself; I wasn't trying to undermine you. You did come here for vacation, and you deserve to play."

I perk up, grateful for these words. _Yeah, it'll work out._ "Thank you Mel, I appreciate that. You know, if you did send me into oblivion, you'd be the only one in the world who'd know where I was. Though we've only just met, I think I'd be okay with that."

It's a deep statement, and he seems aware of the depth. His eyes widen for a moment, but then his snuggly smile returns and he pulls me in for a hug. "You truly are adorable."

With that, he releases me and we continue our walk.


	5. Chapter 5: Above the Palm Trees

_SMACK!_

"Wha…"

I slowly rouse from sleep. My covers are still on, but something slammed against them. _What was that? _Barely conscious, I mindlessly slap the top of my comforter, fishing around for whatever is on top. It was something very light, I can tell that much. "Wha…"

"Sleeping in again Miss? Disappearing without notice too? What is it going to take to get you to fall in line?"

I hazily peer over at the foot of my bed. Ivan is standing there, arms crossed. _Oh what now…_

As Ivan comes into focus, my hand brushes the top of something papery. I grab onto it and pull it closer to me. It looks like a newspaper. It's in Arabic, so I don't know what's going on, but then I see the picture. It's so huge, I don't know how I saw the words before it. Once the image registers, I gasp.

There, on page one, is Mel and I beneath the afternoon sun holding hands. This isn't any old newspaper, this is a tabloid, and I've got a starring role!

"Aww, what a good picture!"

Once again, my mouth is ahead of my mind, and Ivan does not look pleased.

"Miss, this is unacceptable. It's bad enough that you'd display such affections in public, but that you'd do so with a man you barely know? A man in line for the throne? This will not do!"

I think about my day with Mel. After our walk, we ate at a sweet little café, then explored the shopping district. Apparently, it's King's orders that I can have whatever I want, and Mel had a ball showing me gorgeous thing after gorgeous thing. Considering my closet, I kept declining, but he really enjoyed having a go at it. We got so distracted that it was past dinnertime when we got back, and Mel snuck me back to my room as to avoid Ivan. I'm obviously about to pay for it.

_Wait, he thinks holding hands is extreme PDA?_

Ivan continues. "It is not proper to be affectionate in any capacity in public. Emotions like that should be shown in private only, and now, the country will think Master Melchiorre is dating an American tourist! He so loves to be around women, but normally he flies easily under the radar…"

"Ivan?"

"…and yet somehow he gets noticed with you. How do you think this reflects upon the monarchy? It looks as though we need to spend time going over social norms as well. I should have done that yesterday, instead of allowing you to pick your lesson, but I was trying to be flexible…"

"Ivan?"

"…and it was clearly a mistake. I did not think you'd be leaving off palace grounds so soon, and that brings me to my next point: you can't just leave without anyone knowing. You are the bracelet bearer, and if anything happens to you, it would be detrimental for so many reasons. You must tell me when you leave so we know you're okay and that the bracelet needs to be guarded…"

"I think I'm pregnant with Melchiorre's love child, Ivan."

"…so it won't go missing again. As for the tabloid, we have the best PR department…WHAT?!"

Ivan's eyes go wide as he finally registers what I said. I start laughing really hard and I can't stop. Inbetween throes of laughter, I look over at Ivan, and I'm shocked to see a hint of a smile on his lips. I calm down a little and get up out of bed.

"Oh Ivan," I start, wiping a tear away from my eye. "I did not mean for any of that to happen. After awhile, I forgot I was with a prince, and of course people are interested in the princes. I did not know we were going anywhere when I came across Melchiorre, he surprised me by showing me a beautiful spot of the country. He just wanted me to feel more at home, that's all."

Ivan looks a bit more relaxed. "He is a good man, and quite popular with women. I suppose I should be thankful that you spent your time getting to know a prince, doing that so early on will help your decision along." He peers over at the tabloid. "Perhaps I got a bit carried away, I only just saw that myself. It is rude to take a person's picture without their knowledge, especially when they are just trying to relax. We'll take care of this."

He looks back at me. "I did not come here to lecture, or even to wake you up. I came here because Master Jun sang your praises yesterday, and your outing with Master Melchiorre got me thinking."

_Clearly. Wait, Prince Jun sang my praises? Really?_

Ivan reaches into his jacket pocket and pulls out a little, high tech looking digital camera. "The latest and greatest. I thought you might like to take pictures while you're here. I mean, you were here on vacation after all."

I'm instantly excited. "Wow! Thank you so much Ivan!"

I run up to him with my arms out, but he stiffens at the sight of my approaching him, so I drop my arms and forego the hug. He could stand to loosen up a little, but this is clearly a big deal for him, so I'm not about to mention that now.

He holds the camera out and puts it in my hands. "You can thank his Majesty, not me."

_Yeah well, His Majesty didn't think to get this for me… _Ivan and I were actually having a moment, but he can't just let it happen. Nope, got to default to someone else. Why can't he just accept the gratitude?

I turn the camera on and fiddle with the buttons, trying to become acquainted with the settings. I look up at Ivan, who's watching me closely. I glance to the side, back at the camera, then back at Ivan. "What? Disappointed you didn't get to carry me out of bed today?" I leave out that he's the only man to have done that, as it's usually vice versa.

"No," he says, though his eyes seem to say _"Maybe a little". _"I was wondering if it might be a good idea to let you wander the palace grounds for a bit today. You still have much to learn, but you should get better acquainted with the palace. Though they'll all be busy, the princes will be around today, maybe you can see them in action."

I know I look confused. "You're thinking about just letting me wander?" _Where is this coming from?_

"I'm considering it, especially since I shall be busy until early evening."

I look over at the tabloid. "You'll give me absolute freedom? After disappearing? After that gossip rag? With so much left to learn?"

Ivan raises an eyebrow. "Well, this is your home for now, I do not see why not."

_Why is he being so nice? _I look down at the camera then back at him. "Oh…I get it. This is a test, right? I'm supposed to say 'No Ivan, I'd rather learn more than explore', right? Probably give you this camera back too, right? Okay, you got me." I hold the camera back out towards him. "So, what am I learning today?"

Now Ivan just looks miffed. "You must find me awfully rigid to think this is a trick." He steps away from me. "I shall take my leave now, I have duties to attend to."

He starts heading towards the door. _Uh oh, did I hurt his feelings? _"Hey Ivan, I didn't…"

"As for today, do what you will; I'm sure you will anyway."

With that, he leaves. _Damnit, just when things were getting better between us, I go and screw it up. He even gave me a gift too! I was just so sure it was a trick…_

I know I have to fix this, but I'm at a loss for how. Should I try to perfect a lesson? Dress like a nun for dinner? Buy him some candy? _Oh what am I saying, he probably hates candy…but who hates candy?_

I shake my head as if that will knock every thought loose. I think too much. Maybe I need to take advantage of the chance to explore, who knows when I'll get to do it again? Maybe I'll even get to see all the places Mel dragged me past, and possibly find inspiration on what to do about Ivan.

* * *

I end up in the palace garden (_or is it a courtyard?)_. I hadn't seen it yet, and it's alive with a wide variety of beautiful flowers. Their fragrance wafts gently through the air, making the grounds smell like the most earthy perfume shop in existence. It's good to be outdoors, soak up from fresh air like I did yesterday with Mel. I take out my camera and snap a few close ups of flowers I've never seen before. _I wonder what they are called? I wonder who does the landscaping? It certainly is lavish…_

I stop in front of a tree close to a fountain nearby. It boasts with huge, vibrant white blossoms that are lined with magenta. Each blossom has five petals, each flat as a button and a soft wave around the magenta edges. I reach out and trace the edge of one with my index finger. So soft, so fragarent, I wonder what these are called?

"Sabi star." Says a lively voice behind me.

I turn around, startled. I'm face to face with Prince Alvah, my fellow redhead. He's holding a cup of what appears to be long, coffee colored ice cubes and has a guitar (at least, it kinda looks like a guitar) strapped to his back. He's wearing what I guess would be his casual attire: a black, button up, long sleeved collared shirt with a cranberry colored vest and black pants. He's also wearing a black leather choker that I have not seen previously. Normally, I don't get so lost in a man's clothes, but I like black, and it's a good combo for him.

"Uh, what?" I ask, when I realize I've probably been staring too long.

He laughs and points at the flowers. "That's their name: sabi star."

_Well, either he can read my mind like Mel can or I was talking to myself. Oh well...  
_

"Really?" I look back at them, loving their beauty even more. "I like that. I've never seen them before."

"And it shows."

I look back towards him. He laughs again. "You're looking at them with such wonder, it's endearing." He walks up beside me and picks one with his free hand. "When you get used to something, it's easy to overlook it and take it for granted." He looks down at the blossom in his hand then up at me. "Thank you for the reminder."

He tucks the stem of the bloom behind my ear. "And now, a reminder for you too."

I reach up and touch the petals, then give him a huge smile. "Thank you so much Prince Alvah! I really wanted one but wasn't sure if it was okay."

He smiles back, equally as big. "You're welcome, I'm glad you're enjoying the gardens. It's one of my favorite places to hang out as well." He suddenly gives a quick little bow. "And please, just call me Alvah."

"Oh, that's right, you asked me to do that when we met! I'm sorry!" _Yet another one who doesn't care for the title, interesting._ I try my best to call people as they wish to be called, but I'm starting to forget which princes like their title.

He waves it off. "No worries, I just like being called Alvah so much better." He holds out the cup of ice cubes towards me. "Would you like an ice sweetie?"

_Did he just call me sweetie? _I look at the cubes curiously. "A what?"

"An ice sweetie. These taste like soda."

I'm reminded of what the lilac haired introverted prince said at introductions, them learning the British form of English and all. "By sweetie, do you mean candy?"

"Candy…I've heard that before. Such a funny word for a sweetie. How does it even make sense?"

I giggle. He has a point. "Soda, huh?"

He gives me a funny look. "Do you not like soda?"

"No, I do, but…what kind of soda?"

"What kind?"

"Yeah. I'm guessing not Sprite or 7UP based on the color. Is this Coke? Pepsi? Dr. Pepper? Root Beer? What?"

He looks back at the cubes and laughs again. "Good question. Try one and find out, cause to me, it's just soda."

I'm reminded of a time when I had a lingo conversation with a Midwesterner. _Is it pop? Is it soda? Is it Coke? _Different names but it's all the same.

I'm not sure if I'm supposed to hold this candy or what, since they're a little on the longer side, so I just pick one up and pop it in my mouth. It's insanely sweet and cold, I feel like I'm already getting a toothache.

He smiles and pops one in too. "Well?" he asks, rolling it to the side of his mouth so he can speak.

I kind of want to take it back out. I'm not big on candy, but he looks so excited, and the flavor is refreshing. "Coke. Definitely Coke."

He nods. "I've heard Americans like their Coke, maybe we can serve some at dinner tonight. Hey, come with me!"

He starts rushing towards the fountain, and I follow.

Once we arrive, I am further impressed by the landscaping of this garden, and the fountain…oh the fountain! It looks like it was carved out by Michelangelo, as if a column of marble looked at him and said, "Let me spout forth the elixir of life for all eternity in the closest thing to Eden. Let me be regal, and let me shine." He listened, and did not disappoint. Since this is the royal family, who knows how long it's been here? Maybe Michelangelo did sculpt it.

"Another thing of beauty, but this one I never forget."

I look over. Alvah is sitting on the fountain's edge, the guitarish looking instrument now on his lap. I take the ice candy out of my mouth and point it towards the instrument. "What is that, a lute?"

He strums it quickly then stops. "It's called an _oud_, much like a lute I suppose."

Before I can ask more, his fingers begin to dance upon the strings, and a spirited Arabian melody flows forth. I can whisk out a few tunes on an acoustic guitar, but my skill level is nowhere close to his, and the _oud _has a zest I've never heard from any other stringed instrument.

A few measures in, he begins to sing. I can't help but get excited. Not only is he singing in Arabic (this is the first I've heard any of the princes use their native tongue), but he sounds very similar to Michael Bublé. He looks and sounds so handsome, that even though Ivan said it was rude, I snap a few candid shots of him as he plays.

His voice is entrancing, and though I have absolutely no idea what he's saying, I don't have to. Music is a language all its own, a universal one that all understand. My hips begin to sway. The fountain trickles out a beat that matches the _oud_, and my feet begin to move as well. Alvah is watching, and his singing lips turn into a singing smile as he continues the song. I put my hands up and begin to twirl around, laughing as Alvah's song continues. The candy in my hand begins to melt down my arm, its sweetness enhancing the scent of the sabi star. I stop and look at my arm, and automatically start licking off the drips. _Mmm, this actually is pretty good._

"That's one way I haven't enjoyed ice sweeties yet."

I stop mid lick and look over at him. The song has ended, and he's got a playful look on his face. I smile and lower my arm. "I liked that, what is it called?"

He rests his arms on the body of the _oud_. "_Foq al-Nakhel_, it means 'above the palm trees'."

"What's it about?"

"It's about a poor young man who's in love with a rich girl. They see each other one night while she's on the balcony of her room and he's down on the street. He knows they can't be together, but the way she looks in the moonlight makes it so he can't help but think about her."

"Sounds a little like _Down in the Boondocks_. Isn't that always the way? Rich girl, poor guy, both bathed in the same moonlight." The moon never cares about status, just people. Not that he'll ever be a poor boy after a rich girl, and I can't think of any songs where the situation is reversed.

He laughs. "Arabic folk songs and American rock songs aren't so different, are they?" He holds the _oud _back in playing position. "Would you like to hear something else?"

I nod eagerly. "If you want to play, I'd love to listen! You play and sing so well!"

He smiles and begins to play again. A familiar Irish melody begins to play. I clap once I recognize it.

"_Red Haired Mary_?!"

He laughs and keeps the song going. "I thought you might like it."

He starts to sing, and I join along. When the fast paced chorus comes along, he stands up and approaches me. Instantly, we both start dancing. He keeps playing, and we both keep singing while our legs kick out into a wonderful imitation of a jig. I start laughing and dance around the fountain. Alvah joins in, his playing goes faster and his laughter rolls over the lyrics. I'm having so much fun that I almost forget that I should be seeing what kind of king this guy would make.

The song ends. I sit on the fountain, laughing and feeling energized. He stands in front of me, moving his _oud _to his back and laughing himself. I look up and smile. "That was fun! Alvah, you're quite the artist. I wish I could play like that!"

He chuckles. "Thank you. I got lucky, it comes naturally to me. I love music, but I don't think I could stand practicing for hours on end." He looks over his shoulder towards the vastness of the garden. "Come along."

With that, he's off again. I get the feeling that he doesn't like staying in one spot for too long. I get up to follow him, and he's already got a big head start. I'm not in a dress that's appropriate to run in, but who's looking? I start running to catch up, but he disappears behind some hedges before I can.

When I finally catch up, I see the garden was hiding something else: a basketball court. _Mel really did a terrible job giving me a tour. _Alvah's already on the center line, his _oud _on the sideline and he's holding a ball. He motions for me to join him.

I saunter over. "What else does this palace have that I'm not aware of?"

He spins the basketball on his finger. "Melchiorre said he gave you a tour, did you not come out here?"

I laugh. "Tour? It was more like a run by. He does not seem to like being in the palace."

The basketball starts to lose balance, he readjusts himself to keep it spinning. "Yeah, he's often out and about. We go to the casino sometimes together, it's always a blast."

"Casino?"

"Yeah, bet you weren't expecting this country to have one." He stops the ball and holds it with both hands. "Would you like to go later?"

I clap my hands. "Are you kidding? I'd LOVE to go! You just say when and I'll be there." I'm not loose with my money, but I love a good game of chance. _Wait, my money? Ah crap, I have no money! I can't go to a casino with no money…_

"Don't worry about money, we got you. You can even keep what you win if Lady Luck smiles upon you."

I blush. "Was I talking out loud again?"

"No, but we all know about the robbery. Father said no expense is to be spared."

_Oh, that's right. I forgot Mel said that. _"Is that really alright? You guys are already doing so much for me…"

He smiles. "You're kind to ask, but don't worry. You're doing a lot for us too, picking the future king and all."

He starts to bounce the ball. This is a good time to ask. "How do you feel about being king?"

He shakes his head and keeps bouncing the ball. "I'm not interested. Pick one of my brothers, any one of them would make a great king."

It's an odd thing, to go from Prince Jun and his want to be king to Mel and Alvah, who have no interest. I still don't know why on Mel's end, I wonder what's up with Alvah.

"May I ask why not?"

He holds the ball and looks me square in the eye. "I'm not suited for it. There's no reason to pick me when there's five other viable candidates. Maybe that'll make your job easier."

In theory, it should, but I don't know. I like Alvah, he's easy to get along with, and he's got a lot of good qualities I'd like to explore further. "Well, I guess if you don't want it…"

"I don't." The bouncing resumes.

"You must really trust your brothers to give them all such a glowing recommendation."

He catches the ball and suddenly looks pensive. "Hmmm? My brothers? Oh, yeah, I trust them."

_He got hesitant there for a second, I wonder why?_

The pensive look leaves and he smiles again. "Now then, what say we play a game?"

I look at the ball. "What?"

He tosses the ball to me. "Let's play!"

I look down at my dress. "I'm not really dressed…"

"Who cares? Tennis players wear less."

I look at the ball. I'm no athlete, he's going to pummel me. "I'm not very good…"

He chuckles, looking quite frisky. "Excuses, excuses…what's wrong? Afraid you'll lose?"

Well, that does it. It doesn't take much to get me competitive. Pummel or not, he's getting a fight. "You're going down, buddy."

* * *

I sit on the courtside, exhausted and bathed in sweat. I didn't get pummeled, I got annihilated, and Alvah looks like he's still ready for more. _Where does this guy get his energy? That ice candy? Maybe I should have eaten more of it._

He crouches in front of me. "What a game! I enjoyed that a lot, you're a real fighter." He hands me a water bottle. "Cheers!"

I gratefully accept the bottle and chug. "89 to 10 is not a game Alvah, it's an apocalypse!"

He starts laughing. "But you never gave up, not once. Needless to say, I'm impressed." He reaches out and tousles my hair.

I laugh and drink more water. "I got a good workout at least." I look at my glistening skin. "I need a shower."

Alvah opens his mouth to speak, but the voice that comes out is not his.

"It looks to me like you need a lot more than that."

A feminine voice that chimes like church bells fills the court. Alvah looks confused, and I know I do too. _Huh?_

Alvah looks over towards the entrance and looks less than pleased. "Ah, good afternoon Dania. I forgot you were visiting today."

I look over. My eyebrows shoot up. A vision in pink is standing at the entrance, arms crossed. She looks like a highly refined, Bambi eyed Angelina Jolie…except she's so thin she looks like she could stand to eat a donut, or a dozen.

He smiles towards Alvah. "Lambert's presenting the medals to our nation's heroes today, how could I miss it?" She glances towards me, looking like I just walked into her sweet sixteen party without an invite. _Great. _

I don't know who this Dania is, but it's clear she knows Lambert, and Alvah obviously knows who she is. That makes me the girl in her territory, so I can't really blame her for having her feathers up. _Be nice…_

I stand up and walk towards her, smiling and arm extended out. "Hello! It's nice to meet you, I'm…"

She holds up a hand. "The bracelet bearer, yes. Lambert mentioned you. Imagine giving such an important job to a commoner."

_Commoner? Yep, she totally knows Lambert. _I put my hand down and try not to glare. Alvah stands next to me and has no problem showing his emotion. "That was uncalled for, Dania."

She gives an arrogant grin. "What? That's what she is." She scans my outfit. "Just look at you. What kind of woman prances around a basketball court in such attire? For that matter, what kind of woman rough houses around with men? To be so unkempt and unladylike around a prince…I truly don't know what the His Majesty was thinking."

_This is unreal, she can't be serious. _I'm so taken aback that Alvah is already glaring before I can respond. "And you think insulting someone is ladylike?" He points back towards the palace. "Go back to Lambert, we don't need your company."

She continues in her arrogant stance before she looks me over one more time then strolls away.

Alvah's a doll for coming to my aid, but I'm still confused. "What just happened?"

Alvah rolls his eyes. "That's Dania, she's one of the six sisters."

_The what? _"Six sisters?"

"Ah, you probably didn't hear about them yet. The six sisters are the daughters of the prime minister and his aristocratic wife. We grew up with them, from play dates as toddlers to school and beyond. All six of them are supposed to be the very definition of a lady, and every single one of them has been groomed from birth to be a princess."

_Princess? _

He continues on. "Alone, most of them are pleasant, although obviously Dania is a bit of an exception. She's usually right by Lambert's side, so we don't interact often."

_Princess?_

"They were at the palace often when we were kids, but these days they're fulfilling their own duties and come by much less frequently. She's here today because of the medal ceremony, and then she'll most likely leave."

He looks over at me. "What?"

"Uh…you said they were groomed from birth to be princesses, so…are they, like, your fiancés?"

He gives me a confused glance, and then bursts out laughing. _Guess not._

"No, not at all. There's certainly expectations, but no guarantees."

_Huh? _"What does that mean?"

He shrugs. "It's not interesting, I promise." He motions towards the palace. "What say we spruce up and go to the casino?"

I'd like to hear more about the sisters, the possibility of them becoming royalty, and even the medal ceremony, but Alvah seems to have moved on, and who knows when I'll have free time again? Maybe I can take more pictures, show Ivan what I've learned.

Plus, I'm really enjoying Alvah's company. "Yeah Alvah, lead the way."


	6. Chapter 6: Pearls of Wisdom

**Hadn't really expected another chapter to come out so soon, but Jun and Alvah are rather restless and decided to share things I wasn't aware of. It's quite entertaining actually, though this chapter probably requires a disclaimer because Jun decides to be naughty and uses his share of innuendos...but if you're used to Jun then this shouldn't be surprising.**

**Oh, the Arabic phrase Alvah uses (****_ya_**** amar) translates to "like the moon". It's the same as saying "beautiful". Thought I'd translate that because the meaning isn't easy to infer.  
**

* * *

I'm more than slightly in envy of the palace bathrooms. My bathroom has a tub the size of a hot tub and a separate shower, which has a shower head so big it's like bathing under a waterfall. Furthermore, I think the water was infused with rose, so I essentially just showered in a rose waterfall. I never wanted to leave. _I need to shower a lot more while I'm here, I'm surprised Ivan said nothing about my not having taken one yet. It's amazing what one forgets after being robbed in a foreign country and then getting taken in by the royal family…ha._

I put on a white, Egyptian cotton robe and begin to towel dry my hair when there's a knock at the door. "Come in Alvah, it's unlocked."

That's something else I noticed: my door has no lock. It seems impractical, especially since it would appear my room has a servant's entrance (_is it racist or wrong for them to use those now?_), not to mention I'm in charge of a priceless heirloom, but the others seem to have taken no notice of it. I'm not sure if they know themselves, they may just think I'm careless.

I bend over, hair hanging down to the floor, and continue rubbing the towel through it. I hear the door open, and the carpet muffles the footsteps.

I stand up quickly, my hair flying back. "Oh Alvah, I…"

I pause. It's not Alvah before me, it's Prince Jun.

"Prince Jun?" _What is he doing here?_

He frowns. "I am sorry you are disappointed by my presence."

He looks pretty irritated. "Huh? I'm not, I just thought you were…"

"I'm aware of who you thought I was, hence your disappointment. Do you already prefer Alvah over me?"

I hold the towel limply in my hand, unsure of my next move. _What is with this guy? _"It's nothing like that. He was just supposed to stop by after we cleaned up."

He folds his arms and looks me over. "What exactly were you two doing that required a shower afterwards?"

"He crushed me at basketball, why?"

His royal blues flash wickedly, and I see the hints of his smirk coming up. _Oh…_

I feel myself gripping the towel harder and begin to glare at him. He kind of sniggers. "Do you find it appropriate to greet him in such attire?"

I fold my arms too, matching his stance. "Ivan would say no, but I don't care. Why? Do you have a problem with the way I look?"

His smirk is in full force. "Not at all." He walks closer as I process this. "Would you have stayed in such attire if you knew it was me behind that door, instead of him?"

_What is he getting at here? _"I don't see why not."

He continues to smirk. "Good to know. Well, I suppose I should explain my presence."

_Ya think? _"Please do."

"I thought maybe we got off on the wrong foot yesterday…not literally of course."

I think back to our dance lesson. "That was some damn fine dancing." I mutter, recalling our flow and the feel of exotic cashmere against my throat while in his strong embrace.

"Yes it was. Anyway, by way of apology, I wondered if you might like to have tea in my room?"

_He's apologizing? Hmmm, maybe I did have him pegged wrong, and I guess he was being honest with Ivan. _"Sure Prince Jun, that sounds nice. When?"

He raises an eyebrow. "What do you mean, when? I meant right now, after you get dressed of course."

"Right now? But I…"

"Do you not accept my apology?"

"I do, but…"

"Very well then, I shall see you soon."

With that, he leaves my room. I feel like stomping up and down. _How annoying! He just has to have his way. And what was all that about Alvah?_

I contemplate not going, but can I afford to burn that bridge? _Ugh…_

_KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK!_

_Geez, what'd he forget? _"What now, Prince Jun?"

Alvah peaks in. "Oh, he did come by here then?"

I walk over to him. "Alvah! I'm sorry, I thought you were Prince Jun."

He nods. "Yeah, figured he'd do that…well anyway, I came by to apologize."

_He thought Prince Jun would come by?_ "What, what do you have to apologize for?"

"I have to reschedule our casino trip, I've been summoned to go to the medal ceremony."

I should have figured based on his clothes. He's not in casual attire, he's in what I'd consider to be his princely uniform. "What is this medal ceremony anyway?"

"It's for soldiers who have gone above and beyond the call of duty during wartime. They're honoring three soldiers with the medal of honor. All three have different stories, and all three are incredible men."

"Wow, why aren't you all going?"

"We are now, except Jun, he has a prior engagement with a few Russian diplomats."

This is fascinating. "I figured every country had their version of the medal of honor, but I didn't know it'd have the same name. Wow, this must be a magnificent ceremony. I've never seen one in America, but I know they do it at the White House." I wonder about the men receiving the medal, and what they did to receive it. "Is there a way I can thank them for their service?" It seems odd to ask that, seeing as how this country and my country were probably on opposite sides of some fights, but any person willing to lay down their lives for their country and its people deserves gratitude at the very least.

Alvah smiles. "Aren't you sweet?" His smile disappears. "Unfortunately, I can't guarantee how that would be received." He looks at me with pensive eyes.

I nod. _Of course, every country's military is different, and everyone's got different opinions about other countries, especially America. _"I meant no disrespect."

He smiles and ruffles my hair. "I know that, _ya amar._ For what it's worth, it means a lot to me and will to my brothers as well." He points to a red badge on his princely attire. "Everyone in this country has to serve for a year when they turn 18. It's a very different experience for everyone. Nagit's doing it next year."

I reach out and touch his badge, enthralled. "Incredible." Maybe I can hear more about his experience later.

He looks down at my hand and smiles. He reaches up and puts his hand on mine. "I'm not sure how sweeties could ever melt in your hands." He gives it a quick squeeze. "I have to go prepare, am I forgiven?"

I laugh and squeeze his hand back. "There's nothing to forgive, silly boy."

He laughs as well. "I'm looking forward to our casino trip." He lets go of my hand. "I'll see you later." He walks away. That worked out well. _He's delightful, I look forward to it too. Oh crap, Prince Jun! I need to get dressed. _

* * *

As I head down the hall, I begin to wonder why he wants to meet in his room. Surely this place has a tea room? Or we could even go to the garden, why his room? Red flags start to go up, but I did say I'd give him the benefit of the doubt. _It's just tea, what's the worst that could happen?_

And then I realize, once again, my dumb ass is lost. I have no idea where any of the princes' rooms are, and any door I knock on would just be a guess. _Crap…_

Luckily, I see a servant holding a tea tray walking into a room. _If that's not Prince Jun's room, I'll eat my shoes._

The servant leaves, and I scurry up and knock.

"Come in."

I open the door. Prince Jun's room is even bigger than mine, and the colors he seems to enjoy are gold, white, and black. Everything about his room screams "posh", and he's even arranged an elegant looking seating area in the middle of his room. He's sitting back on one of the black couches in this area, comfortable as the day is long, and he's donned in a white robe much like I was minutes ago. _Well, that's interesting._

He looks over at me. "Please, sit down."

I walk over. "I get dressed up and you get dressed down, what gives?"

He's looking at me the way I imagine Hugh Hefner looks at his latest centerfold model. "Just getting comfortable. It is my room, after all."

_Well, he's got me there. _I sit down on the same couch. I catch the aroma of the tea. It smells strong and floral, I like it.

He scoots closer to me and leans towards the china. "How do Americans take their tea?"

"I like mine straight up, but that's just me. I can't speak for everyone."

He smirks as he swiftly pours a cup. He hands it and a saucer over to me. "It's nice to see someone enjoy the natural flavor. That's a special Moroccan blend that's been steeped in rose water."

_More rose water? There's no shortage of flower love around here._ I pick up the cup and take a dainty sip. _Oh, that's really good. _I hold it back up and take a bigger drink. It's quite brisk, with a lot of body.

"Glad to see you like it. I heard coffee was bigger in America than tea, but I find coffee to be boorish."

I chuckle. "Indeed, the drink of the drones." I bring the cup back up, eager to savor another taste.

_Clink!_

I pull the cup away, confused. "What the…" Something's clinking inside the glass.

Prince Jun looks over and smirks. "Ah, you just noticed the flavor enhancers."

_WHAT?! _I give him a skeptical glance, then I look into the cup. Through the coppery liquid, I see three gleaming little spheres.

"Are those pearls?!"

He nods. "As I said before, nothing but the best."

I continue to gawk into my cup. This is so extravagant that I feel I should be appalled, but I'm too impressed to be appalled. "You drink tea with pearls in the cup?"

"Why not? They keep the tea mixed so the flavor stays even." He takes another sip and looks over at me. "You ever enjoyed a cup that is of the land and of the sea?"

I shake my head, still looking into the cup. "That's what I call a full body."

He pauses and looks impressed himself. "You DO know tea, isn't that something?"

I finally get over the pearls (sort of) and finish the rest of the tea. It's probably my imagination, but they do seem to make the tea taste even better. I look back at the pearls. _Delicious._

"You may keep them, if you like."

My eyes go wide. I'm no pearl expert, but even I can tell they're expensive. "Prince Jun, I don't…"

"Jun."

"What?"

He meets my eyes, the Hefner look back on his face. "Call me Jun. If you can call Alvah by his name only, then call me by mine."

_What is with this apparent rivalry? _"Never mind what Alvah asked me to call him. I'll call you Jun if that's what you prefer."

He gives me an indecent smile. "You would call me by whatever I request?"

_Where is this going? _"Well…yes. People should go by the name they prefer."

He suddenly stands up. "What if I asked you to call me 'lover'?"

I am now eye level with his crotch. Instinct has me stare, as if I'll suddenly develop X-Ray vision, but rationality kicks in and I back away. "I cannot call you that."

He steps forward. "Can't, or won't?"

I scramble upwards and step away from him. "Both, you are not my lover." _He's probably one hell of a lover, but I'm in no position to find out._

He continues to walk towards me, his hands in the pockets of his robe. "Well, that can easily be changed."

_Gulp. _My eyes go wide. "What are you saying?"

His hands come out of the pockets and face towards me. "Only that I'm going to give you everything you want."

_Oh crap…_

With that, I begin to run, but I realize a little too late that I'm not running towards the door, I'm running away from it. Furthermore, I'm now right next to the bed, and Jun catches up with me almost instantaneously.

He sniggers. "So eager, are you? I don't blame you."

I glare at him and hold out my hand to make a stop signal. "Back off, little boy."

He frowns, and his eyes go hard. "You say that without knowing how much of a man I can be."

He grabs my wrist. Next thing I know, I'm falling backwards onto the bed, and he's on top of me. He's so quick that he even manages to pin down both my wrists and cover my legs before I can even let out a gasp.

"WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING?!"

He leans forward and puts his face close to mine. "Isn't this what you want?"

"CERTAINLY NOT! YOU STOP THIS RIGHT NOW!"

I try to wiggle free, but it's in vain. He caught me by surprise and has the complete upper hand. To make matters worse, his robe is falling away from his chest, and the sight of his bare skin has my loins betraying my mind. _No…not now…this is totally inappropriate..._

He sniggers again, and holds my wrists more tightly. "Don't struggle, it's better if you don't struggle."

The increased tightness fans the embers of my libido. His braid falls slowly off his back to his side, and it brushes my pinned right arm. _Oh my…_

_No no no! Goddamnit! Focus!_

My only hope is that my face is not showing my conflicted emotions as I continue to squirm. "I said get off of me, Jun."

"And I said don't struggle."

He's so confident that he momentarily releases my left wrist and reaches into his robe pocket. When he finishes, he puts his elbow on my arm and his hand hovers above my throat. _What the…_

He suddenly drops something out of his fingers. It falls and sits in the dip of my throat. He drops something else.

_Click! Click! _The items bounce off each other and settle in the dip. _More pearls?!_

He keeps his elbow on my arm and lowers his hand towards my throat. He makes his palm flat and puts it on top of the pearls. Slowly, he moves his palm upwards, and the pearls go with his touch. They roll gently up my throat, and then he begins to move them back down. The affection behind the gesture throws me off, and I begin to stop squirming.

He picks his hand up, and the pearls roll back into the dip. He moves his face close to mine again. All I can do is gaze into his eyes. "They may be beautiful, but I bet yours is more so; it shan't slip through my fingers as these just did."

I feel my eyes begin to close. _I do like his hands…_

He looks back down at my throat. "You have a lovely throat. Such a shame it's basically bare, maybe if you're lucky you'll have a necklace by the end of this."

And they pop back open. _What?! Oh hell, what was I thinking? This is NOT okay!_

I glare at him again and resume the squirming. "Get off of me or you're going to regret it, you ass."

He smirks. "Feisty. Alright then, fight me, tell me how I might regret this. It just makes surrender that much sweeter."

_Bah, of course he'd enjoy that. What can I say to get him to stop? _"Jun, no. Just…no!"

His hold on my wrists loosens, as does the hold on my legs. "Don't you like…"

_CRUNCH!_

"Aaaaaiiiieeeeeeooooowwwwww!"

The moment my legs were free, I saw my opportunity and took it. Jun falls off the bed, both hands holding between his legs. I casually stand up, the pearls rolling off me, and look down at him. He's in fetal position, hands still on his junk, and he's squeezing his eyes shut while his breath hisses out quickly. I can tell he's trying not to scream again as he writhes in pain.

He looks up at me, eyes running with thoughts of revenge. "Bloody hell, that was a cheap shot!" He hisses out, eyes squeezing back shut.

"So was pinning me under you despite my protests." I stand over him the way he stood over me in the ballroom. "Don't you ever try to manhandle me again, little boy."

He rolls on his back and looks up at me. "You've got a lot of nerve."

He takes his hands off his pain and put them to the side. I take the opportunity to pin him. I'm wearing boots that have a decent amount of space between the toes and the heel, so I step forward and trap his wrists in this space. "As do you."

I crouch down so I'm closer to him. "Do you honestly think this is right? Do you always go to such extremes for what you want?"

To my surprise, he's got his smirk on his face. "This isn't about what I want; it's about what you want."

I roll my eyes. "You're terrible."

His eyes glance down at my bottom. "How about you turn around and say that?"

"What?"

"If you're going to talk out of your bum, I might as well be looking at it too. From what I can tell, it's pretty nice."

_The nerve! Is he even listening? _I stand back up. "If you're serious about wanting the crown, you're going to have to do better. This is unacceptable."

He keeps smirking. "Is it? And just what are you trying to prove?" A flash of realization goes through his eyes. "Oh…I get it."

_What the…_

_KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK!_

"Jun? I'm coming in."

I look over at the door. Prince Lambert walks in. At first, he looks surprised, but then his typical haughty look returns. "Ah, you. What are you doing in here?"

I realize quickly that he can't see Jun, who's hidden by the bed and makes no effort to move. I motion towards the tea tray. "I'm having tea, what else?"

He looks over at the sitting area, then back at me. "I see. Where is Jun?"

I glance downwards before looking back. Jun winks. _He is something else. _"He's indisposed at the moment, shall I take a message?"

"Yes. Ask him if he's seen the medals for the ceremony. They appear to be missing."

_Missing? _"Oh dear, can I help?"

He shakes his head. "What can you do? You don't even know what they look like. Just hurry and tell Jun, the ceremony is soon and we could use his help before he sees the diplomats."

With that, he closes the door and leaves. I look down at Jun. "You with diplomats, imagine! It's a wonder no one has declared World War III because of you."

His eyes narrow. "How dare you insult the work I do for my country?" He looks angry, and I almost feel bad. "Release me at once, or I shall summon Ivan."

My eyes widen. _God, he is angry._ _I probably shouldn't have taken a dig at his work just because his personality needs tuning. _I move off his wrists. He gets up and glares at me. "Get out of my room, and tell Lambert I haven't seen the medals but I'll look." He starts to walk away.

I'm still not happy with Jun, but between my words and swift kick, I think may owe him an apology. "Jun, I…"

His head whips back towards me. "Do not address me so informally, you lost that privilege. I am Prince Jun, and I told you to get out of my room."

_Oh crap…how many more can I offend today? This is totally what I get for wondering what could possibly happen over tea._ I nod and walk out.


	7. Chapter 7: Medal of Honor

**I got asked what country the princes live in. It's a very small, fictional country that lies between Oman and Yemen and also borders the Arabian sea. The palace is in the richest part of the country by the sea (as you probably guessed) and though the country didn't originally have a name, Bavan came to mind, and I liked it. So there we go, the princes of Bavan!**

* * *

The minute I walk out, the hall is all abuzz with people rushing around. My eyes widen as Arabic phrases frantically spew around me, and it would appear that the medals have not been found. I look around in awe, realizing the heft of the situation. As the people (whom I assume are palace employees) scramble about, the need to join them grows stronger. _I know what Prince Lambert said, but I'm sure they could use all the help they can get. _I look back and forth; which way to go? _Where is Prince Lambert?_

I join the rapid pace and decide to head towards the main hall where the King's throne is. I arrive fairly quickly, but it's not empty like usual; it's filled with people anxiously waiting. They're facing the throne, and it's obvious they're waiting for the ceremony to begin. The anticipation that fills the room makes me anxious as well, and I strengthen my resolve to help. Not seeing Prince Lambert or any member of the royal family anywhere in the room, I duck out.

I rush again towards a door right by the main hall, where no one is waiting. _This has to be a waiting room, where they go before they go on stage. _I peek in, and sure enough, there are the princes. Prince Lambert is pacing back and forth, no longer showing the complete composure he did back in Prince Jun's room. It's clear he's stressed out, and he doesn't pause for even a moment. Alvah is standing in the middle of the room, watching Prince Lambert pace and trying to console him. Mel is leaning up against what appears to be a vanity, and is casually sipping a drink (_is that whiskey?)_ as he watching Prince Lambert with an amused smile. The lilac haired prince (_crap, what IS his name?!) _is sitting in a chair next to Mel and is flipping through pages of notes. The youngest prince (_Nagit?) _is on a smart phone, chattering away in Arabic with a concerned look on his face. What's more, Dania is present, and she's sitting on the opposite side of the room. She tries to get Prince Lambert's attention everytime he walks to the left side of the room, but he turns away before she ever gets a word in edgewise. Everyone is so taken in by the scene that I've gone unnoticed.

I shut the door behind me, and everyone instantly looks up.

Prince Lambert stops his pacing and his expression becomes cross. "What are you doing here? I already told you, there's nothing you can do."

I would think his stress level is causing this type of talk, except to me, this is how he always is. I clear my throat and speak calmly. "I came to let you know that Prince Jun has not seen the medals."

Prince Lambert sighs and looks at the ground. "It figures." He looks back up and continues his cross glare. "Well, if that is all, take your leave. The ceremony will start in 30 minutes and I can't have you around hindering things."

I'm about to speak up when Mel drains his glass and walks over to Prince Lambert. "Relax bro. She's not hurting anything."

Prince Lambert now glares at Mel. "Enough is going on without her serving as a distraction, it won't do."

As if on cue, Dania stands up and poses defensively by Prince Lambert. She glares at me in a similar fashion. "Prince Lambert is quite busy, he does not have time for you."

_Oh, what'd I do?! Some women, sheesh. _Alvah rolls his eyes and the younger princes look over at her. Prince Nagit has stopped his phone conversation, and the other looks shyly over at me after looking at Dania. He then goes back to his notes.

Mel shakes his head. "I think you two need to calm down. Everything is going to be fine-"

Prince Lambert cuts him off. "It will not! In less than 30 minutes, one of the most important events in those soldiers' lives is going to happen, and the symbol of our country's gratitude is missing! You cannot tell me everything is going to be fine!"

Mel looks over at me and shrugs, like he's asking '_what can one do?' _and walks over to the room's bar. Like every other room I've seen so far, this one is donned with every amenity a person could want, and is done in style. It'd be real glamorous if it wasn't filled with such tension. Alvah looks at me and shrugs as well. They're all clearly at a loss.

_What can I do? _"I don't understand, who would take the medals? Surely everyone wants to see the soldiers honored."

Prince Lambert crosses his arms. "You would think, but if we knew who would take them, we'd already of found them, wouldn't we?" He and Dania continue to glare. He positions himself next to her. "The confusion here is who slipped past security? The medals were carefully guarded."

Dania inches closer to Prince Lambert, clearly willing to show any way that she can that this is her man. "Prince Lambert, isn't there a thief amongst us right now?"

Instantly, it's all eyes on her. Mel stops mid drink, Prince Lambert looks at her curiously, and the others look surprised. She smirks and looks at me again, like I'm holding a big bag with a dollar sign on it and am donning a black mask. "Maybe you can take a bracelet and get the King's forgiveness, but he will not forgive this."

I can't believe my ears. _Oh, this bitch… _

Prince Lambert contemplates this, Mel and Alvah stare at her in disgust, and the others look confused. Dania peers at Prince Lambert and continues. "Has anyone checked her room?"

Prince Lambert looks like a light bulb just went off over his head, and I feel my stomach drop. _Oh no…_

I put my hands up quickly. "I did not take anything, in fact I'm here to help."

Dania laughs, the melody of her voice almost masks the evil lurking behind it. "Help? You? An American? How can an American help? You only care about your own interests."

Mel sets down his glass. "Now just a minute-"

Alvah clenches his teeth and glares at Dania. "You don't even know-"

But both are interrupted by Prince Lambert. "No one searched her room, I'll have that happen now." He snaps at the youngest prince. "Nagit, call Ivan and have him send security down that way." He glares at me. "If we find the medals, you're in big trouble, bracelet bearer or not."

I gawk and look at Nagit, who's shaking his head. "Lambert, I cannot-"

"I am your older brother, and I am in charge of this ceremony. Do as I say."

Prince Nagit's eyes go sad, then he looks at me and mouths "I'm sorry" before dialing the phone. _Oh crap, this is bad, this is really bad…_

_Wait, no it's not! I didn't take the medals! _I widen my stance and cross my arms. "Fine, search. For all the good it'll do you, tear my room apart."

Prince Lambert's eyes narrow, and Dania still looks proud of herself. _This bitch…_

Mel and Alvah approach me at the same time. Mel's arm automatically goes around my shoulder. "I know you're stressed little brother, but this is no way to behave."

Alvah nods and stands on my other side. "There's no way she took them, she was with me all morning."

The tension in the room has escalated significantly. Prince Lambert and Dania continue in their anger against me, and I can tell Mel and Alvah are scaling up their intimidation factor. Prince Nagit is walking over, clearly intent on making peace, and the other is still reading his notes. Despite the situation, I can't help but stare at him. He's so quiet and studious, and if the situation is bothering him at all, he's not showing it. _Crap, if only I could remember his name!_

Prince Nagit has reached us and is saying something, which the others are responding to, but I don't hear them. I keep watching the silent one, who suddenly reaches behind him. I hadn't noticed until this moment that there's a ton of food on the table behind him, and he's delicately picking up something that looks like a sumptuous version of cheese and crackers. _Wait…cheese?_

Mouths keep moving around me as I continue to be surrounded by nothing but the sound of this prince's silence. _Cheese…ch…chee…cheez…em…_

"CHEZEM!" I suddenly shout, jumping up and down in excitement.

Prince Chezem's head shoots up, stunned by being summoned so, and the others look at me in surprise.

I start to laugh. "Prince Chezem, I'm so sorry, but I couldn't remember your name! It's so wonderfully unique, and it just now came to me!" I jump up and down again, laughing, then I run away from the others towards Prince Chezem.

He's looking at me like I'm an elephant stampede. This look registers and I slow down right as I get to him. He slightly reclines away from me, his papers neatly organized on his lap with his hands folded on top. Slowly, he lifts his right hand towards his glasses (which I hadn't seen when I met him, they must be reading glasses) and tilts them a bit down his nose, peering over the lenses at me. He doesn't look scared anymore, he just appears to be studying me like he was his notes. The contemplative look he's giving me makes his beautiful eyes stand out, like two polished tiger's eye gemstones dazzling in the sun.

"It is Prince Chezem, right?" _Crap, I could be wrong._

He closes his eyes and gives a quick nod, looking back at me afterwards. He's still tilting his glasses. I can feel the eyes of the others upon us. I have no idea what to say, and he appears to still be soaking the moment in.

He pushes his glasses back up and looks down at his papers as he picks them up. "You'll have to excuse me, I've never heard someone get so excited over my name before."

With that, laughter explodes behind me. Prince Chezem looks around me and watches his laughing brothers, and I turn around myself to see what he's seeing. Mel, Alvah, and Prince Nagit are in various throes of laughter, and while Dania still looks angry, Prince Lambert has the closest thing to a smile I've seen from him on his face. Really, his lips are still in a straight line, but the corners have turned up ever so slightly. The laughter has calmed the aura of the room considerably, and I can't help but smile myself.

Prince Chezem, on the other hand, sighs and stands up. He walks over to Prince Lambert and hands him the stack of papers. "Your speech is well written, I saw no errors and it shall go over well." He gives him an odd little salute of sorts. "I'll be in the library until the ceremony begins. Bash on then."

With that, he leaves. Guilt washes over me as I realize I'm responsible for this sudden departure. I sigh and look down at the ground. _Three men down, how many more left to offend? Or maybe I should just make that four, since my very presence offends Prince Lambert…_

The door opens. I look up, hopeful that Prince Chezem changed his mind and has returned, but instead, it's Ivan. He glances at me briefly before looking over at Lambert. "Master Lambert, the room has been searched, and the medals are not in it. We are continuing our search as we speak, but I think you might want to consider canceling the event and rescheduling."

Prince Lambert looks at me for a moment, then back at Ivan. "Absolutely not. I will not let these men down and inconvenience everyone else in the process because security was breached. They have to be around here somewhere."

Ivan nods. "As you wish." He goes back out the door without saying anything else.

I look at the clock in the room. Twenty minutes until the ceremony. _Can this really be pulled off?_

Prince Lambert turns and faces me. "I guess I gave you too little credit. At least there's one less place to look."

I shrug. _Guess that's as much of an apology as I'm going to get, but I can't blame him too much. He's stressed, and he just wants the medals. _"Do you feel any better?"

He straightens up and glances down at his speech. "It was going well, we were ready to have a good ceremony, and then this happens."

Dania puts her hand on his shoulder. "We'll make this work, and you are going to do great."

_Ugh…crazy woman, make me look like the bad guy then cozy up to her man. And does she feel bad at all? Of course not._

But the look on Prince Lambert's face snaps me out of my funk. He's clearly upset, and I see hints of resignation on his face. I'm not sure if it's because he doesn't want to disappoint the soldiers, or because he doesn't want to look like an idiot, but either way, it strengthens my resolve. _No matter his reasons, the show must go on._

I snap my fingers. "Well, one unlikely place down, I'll go knock out another one." I start walking towards the door.

"Where are you going?" Mel asks.

I turn back around. "There's still time, and there's no sense in sitting here waiting. If this is going to end differently, then we have to do what we can." I motion towards the door. "I got an idea. If we all look in the least likely places, maybe they'll show up."

Mel gives me a skeptical glance. "That's an interesting proposition considering the most logical explanation is usually the simplest one. Simple would be they got stolen for monetary purposes, what makes you think they didn't get taken off palace grounds?"

I contemplate this. "Ivan was still looking. Ivan knows everything…well, almost everything anyway, and if they weren't around here somewhere he'd know it. Security may have been breached once but he didn't let it happen again." I look back at the door. "They're here somewhere, and I'm going to help find them. The rest of you should really join."

I open the door and walk out.

* * *

I can't explain why I thought the garden would hold any answers. All things considered, Mel was right. Maybe the medals did leave palace grounds and have joined the black market with my passport. However, I can't shake the feeling that Ivan doesn't believe that, and if Ivan thinks they're here somewhere, then so do I.

I scan the garden's massiveness, well aware of the time crunch. I really hope the others are looking in case I'm wrong. I keep scanning. _Hmmm, if I were a medal, where would I be?_

I walk quickly around the edges, trying to find clues. _How Nancy Drew of me. I'm not going off of anything but a hope and a chance. It's the smallest of chances, but it's a pretty big hope, so maybe, just maybe…_

One year, a few Academy Awards were stolen, and one ended up in a dumpster. It seemed funny at the time, but now it's making more sense. Someone thought they could get away with something, got scared, then reverted to acting like a child to deal with the situation. What do kids do to hide things? Put them under their bed, in the trash, or bury them. I've found a good number of treasures and mistakes in my class trash can and in the playground sand. I should probably stop pointing it out or my kids will find better hiding spots, and I'll be up a creek!

I stop in my tracks. The beds got checked, the garbage is getting checked, but buried…

I quicken my pace along the edge. If someone was dumb enough to bury them, whatever the reason, it'd most likely be out here. _I just need to find freshly dug dirt._

I continue to run along the edge, scanning all areas and more hopeful now than ever. _But this is crazy! Would someone seriously BURY a medal? And am I seriously looking for freshly dug dirt in a daily maintained garden?_

My hope sinks a little, until I see the sabi star tree. I smile. They sure are beautiful. I put the one Alvah gave me in a little vase in my room. I find myself walking towards it, for no other reason than to enjoy it. I remind myself of the time so I won't daydream amongst them, but I'm sure a minute won't hurt. When I'm a few feet away, I notice what I had been looking for at the foot of the tree. _A dirt mound! Wow, that might be it! That might actually be it!_

I run and quickly fall to my knees once I reach the tree. I can't scoop through the dirt fast enough. _Maybe it's just dirt, but maybe…_

Suddenly, my fingers hit something cold and hard. I gasp, and dig faster. Something surfaces and catches the sun, shining beautifully. I grab it and pull it out. It's one of the medals, a red sash follows behind it. The medallion is heavy, and clearly very expensive. I dust it and the attached sash off. The sash is solid red, and the medallion is quite exquisite. It looks similar to an Olympic gold medal, with the country's flag popping up three dimensionally on the front and an inscription in Arabic is on the back. I can't help but stare. _It's no wonder Mel thought they were gone, this thing is worth a fortune._

The medal looks fine, but the sash is ruined. Dirt stained it and sullied the silken crispness to it. _This can't be presented to a hero…_

But before I can figure that out, I keep digging. It's possible the other two medals are in the same spot, and sure enough, two more surface. I dust them off and try to get off as much of the dirt as possible, but much like the first one, the sashes are ruined. The stains put a damper on what should be a victory, and I know we're all running out of time. _I can't return these like this, everyone will stress out again, but what can I do? At best, I have fifteen minutes, what can I do in fifteen minutes?_

Then, it hits me. _Yes, that just might work! _I hold the medals close to me and run like hell towards my room.

* * *

My fifteen minutes have passed, and I'm running once again back to the waiting room by the wings of the stage, the medals clutched tightly to my chest. The ceremony is clearly going to be delayed, but I think that will be forgiven. The important thing is the medals have been found, and they actually look a lot better.

I burst into the room. This time, it's not full of people. There's just Prince Lambert, who was slouched over in a chair looking quite forlorn, but the minute he sees me he stands at attention.

I look around. "Where is everyone?"

He looks from side to side then slowly approaches me. "When you left, it seemed to inspire everyone to check odd places as you suggested. You actually had a good idea, so I sent Dania out too. They should all be back any minute, but I doubt they had any luck."

The minute he says that, he looks down at my hands. "Wait…are those…"

I hold out both my hands towards him, the medals sitting in my palms. "They were buried in the garden."

He picks one up quickly and inspects it. "Buried?" He keeps looking it over. "These don't look like they spent any time in the ground."

I look down at the remaining medals in my hands. "Well, the sashes were dirty, so I replaced them."

He looks up at me, surprised. "What?" He looks over the sash. "What did you replace them with?"

"I have so many accessories in my closet, and I know they're only on loan and they're not really mine to use as I please, but the wide hair ribbons…there were so many, and so high quality, so I thought…"

Prince Lambert loops the sash over his wrist and watches the medal hang down. He looks closely where the ribbon is connected, and looks back at me. "You sewed this?"

I nod. At first, I was just going to slip the medals on the ribbons. I figured they could be tied for the ceremony and sewed later, but even that seemed like too much of a difference. Much to my surprise, there was actually a sewing kit in the drawer of my vanity. I'm not a sewer, but I can make straight stitches, so I did. They were big and quick, but since they're on the underside, maybe no one will notice.

Prince Lambert flips the sash and looks at the stitches. _Yeah, so much for that. _He studies the stitches, and looks at me. "Well, they're big, but even, and seemingly sturdy." He peers over at the clock. "Only five minutes past, this is actually going to happen."

He looks at me and nods. "I don't know how you did it, but you've saved this ceremony, and these medals look rather sterling. Thank you."

I smile. He takes the other medals and motions towards the stairs leading towards the wings. "You may watch the ceremony if you like."

I smile even bigger. "Really?"

"It would have been cancelled without you. The others will be here shortly, I called Ivan to round them up before you got here."

As soon as he finishes, the others appear. This time, it's not just the princes and Dania, but five other ladies are with them as well. They are all stunning like Dania, and I realize quickly that I'm looking at the six sisters Alvah mentioned. _They must be here for the ceremony as well._

Dania notices my close proximity to Prince Lambert, and immediately rushes to his side. She looks at the medals in wonder. "Oh Lambert, you found them! I knew you would!"

He shakes his head as the others look on in awe. "I didn't, all thanks belong to her."

Dania looks over at me, looking surprised herself, and the others begin to approach us. Suddenly, the sound of trumpets bursts forth from the stage. _It's starting!_

Prince Lambert motions towards the ladies. "Well then, file out. As soon as you all sit down, we'll follow."

They all nod demurely and walk single file towards the stage. As they pass me, they smile. I smile back. They seem pleasant, but then again, they could be just like Dania. I look forward to meeting them during a more in depth introduction, and I see the princes line up.

Prince Nagit smiles as he walks by, and to my surprise, so does Prince Chezem. I smile back, and then up comes Alvah. He reaches out and hugs me, and I hear Mel chuckle. Alvah quickly pats my back. "Good work." He files past me, and Mel is right behind. He looks over at Prince Lambert, who I guess is going on last because he's the host, and puts his arm around me. "Go on ahead bro, I'm going to stay in the wings with her."

I expect Prince Lambert to get upset, that Mel is breaking protocol, but instead he nods and goes on ahead. I look up at Mel as Prince Lambert goes by. "Is this alright? Are you sure you don't want to be out there with your brothers?"

He chuckles and leads me up the stairs so we can stand in the wings and watch the ceremony. "I'll go out towards the end to present the national anthem, they don't need me sitting out there. It's just as well, my military service was pretty boring and the soldiers would not be impressed."

I look over at his chest and see he has on his red badge too. Come to think of it, they all had one on, except Prince Nagit of course. Mel's badge looks different from Alvah's; it has a different emblem on it. "Oh Mel, I doubt they think like that. Everyone who serves deserves respect."

Another chuckle. "It's different in a country where everyone serves, sweetheart. Sure, there's respect, but it's much tougher to impress when everyone has a story."

Having never served, I can't think of a response. I look at his badge further. He notices my looking then looks back out at the stage. I look as well. The ladies are all sitting to the right of the stage with whom I assume is the prime minister (and their father), and the princes are all to the left of King Tamir, who is sitting in his throne and watching Prince Lambert. Prince Lambert is at a podium in the front of the stage, and the soldier are to his right. He's speaking in Arabic with great conviction; he's a powerful speaker.

Mel nods towards Prince Lambert. "Shall I translate?"

I shake my head. "I caught a few words…courage, heroic, service, country, gratitude…I'd rather just listen to the Arabic. Things get lost in translation, and I'm enjoying listening to him speak."

Mel nods. "He's a great speaker, and he's well suited for this crowd." He looks down at me, arm still around my shoulder. "He served in the front lines, you know."

I look up at him in shock. "What?!"

"Yes. We had a month long war with Oman that happened to coincide with his term of service, and he demanded to be in the thick of everything. None of us wanted him to do it, but he couldn't be persuaded."

I look at Prince Lambert in awe. I'm curious about this war, which I never heard of, but I'm more curious by Prince Lambert's choice. _The front lines? But why? _"He doesn't seem like the type who'd want to do that."

Mel nods. "Father thought he just wanted to fight, but I think he wanted to be treated the same as the others, like he didn't deserve special treatment. I asked him about it, but he never said why." He gives a quick sigh, and I can see admiration and pride as he looks at his little brother. "He wasn't the same when he came back." He pats my back. "The Lambert before his service wouldn't have called you a commoner."

Now this is interesting. "Tell me more."

He shakes his head and Prince Lambert speaks on. "It's not my story to tell, and I was just making a few quick observations."

"I understand." I point to his badge. "Tell me about your service then."

"It's seriously not interesting. I was a mechanic, and would repair the tanks and jeeps."

_A mechanic?! _"Really?"

"Yes. I happen to be really good with my hands." He looks back down at me and winks, the hand on my shoulder suddenly starts massaging it. _He ain't lying_.

I look up and smile. He smiles back, and looks back at the stage. "How did you find the medals?"

I tell him the same thing I told Prince Lambert. As I retell it, I get excited all over again. _Wow, I actually found the medals! I found the medals! And Prince Lambert thought they looked…sterling? I think that must be a good thing._

Mel smiles. "That's wonderful work sweetheart. You've gone above and beyond the call of duty, and it's not even your country."

I think about saying that I only did what anyone would have done, but instead, I feel a sly grin come across my lips. Between Prince Lambert's stirring speech, the adrenaline from the medal hunt, and Mel's compliment mixed in with the massage, I feel impulsive.

"That's not even my area of expertise." I mutter, the grin widening as I look up at Mel. He begins to grin in a similar fashion as his eyes meet mine. "Oh? And what would that be?"

I grab his tie and pull him in close. Before he can react, I plant a lusty, solid kiss on his lips. When I finish, I release his tie and look back at the stage. Though the audience can't see in the wings, Prince Lambert sure can, and he's currently looking at the both of us with impatient (and slightly astonished) eyes. My own eyes widen as I realize he must have just summoned Mel, who looks a bit woozy. He looks at Prince Lambert and grins, then looks back at me.

"Talk about sweet oblivion…" He winks and prepares to walk out. "Looks like you put forth damn fine work in all you do."

He enters the stage and takes Prince Lambert's place at the podium. The other princes are holding up the country's flag (which looks pretty cool; it's maroon in color, with a silver border, and a sideways silver crescent moon is in the center with three silver stars above it) while Mel recites the national anthem, and Prince Lambert bows before the soldiers then dons them with their medals. _ I wish I had my camera._

"Don't worry, there will be plenty of pictures of this auspicious ceremony."

I turn around quickly. It's Ivan. "Oh hi Ivan! No wonder you were busy all morning, this must have taken so much preparation!"

He nods. "It did, and it's going well. I understand that you not only found the medals, but fixed them as well?"

_News travels fast. _"I thought I should join the search."

"It's a good thing you did, this would not be happening otherwise. I'm glad you are watching."

I smile. "Me too, I'm learning so much!" I look at the others, who are wrapping up the ceremony. "Maybe I'll even know the national anthem before I leave, wouldn't that be something?" I look back at Ivan, and recall this morning. My face goes solemn. "Ivan, about this morning-"

He shakes his head. "There's nothing to say, miss. We clearly misjudged each other, and I think we've both learned from it."

I nod eagerly. "Definitely, and while I really appreciated the free time today, I look forward to continuing my lessons tomorrow."

Ivan smiles. "Good, you can learn horseback riding with Prince Nagit." He turns to leave, then pauses. "Oh, and tomorrow evening, the daughters of the prime minister will be joining us for dinner. I encourage you to observe them; they will serve as good role models."

I look over at the ladies, who are standing up and shaking the hands of the soldiers, and I find myself hoping with all my might that the other five aren't Dania clones.


	8. Chapter 8: Tree of Knowledge

**Originally, this chapter was suppose to have the dinner scene, but Prince Chezem choose to flex his mental muscles and the scene got long fast. **

**I feel the need to note that when I did Chezem's route, I avoided the walkthrough and usually ended up picking the choices that didn't necessarily offend him but certainly threw him for a loop. I've since seen how he acts when you make the "right" choices, but since the MC is quite extroverted, I decided to match him with the way my route went.**

* * *

"Again, Miss?"

I lift my head up. It's a new day, and I actually thought I had been doing pretty well this morning. I managed to get up before seven, and since there's really no reason to hurry for breakfast, I decided to take a soak in the tub. I was lying back, relaxing, and then Ivan's voice booms through the room. He clearly still has no faith in me, as it would appear he expected me to still be in bed. I'd be annoyed if the rose water and rose bubble bath wasn't soothing me into a delightful stupor.

I hear him rustling about, obviously confused as to where I am. "Miss?"

I sigh. "I'm in the tub, Ivan!"

Next thing I know, the bathroom door opens and there he is, all butlery and ready for action. That is, until he seems to register the scene before his eyes, as he now looks a bit taken aback. I give him a quick smile. "Hello Ivan."

He nods, his usual equanimity returns when his head lifts back up. "Good morning Miss. I came by to tell you that Master Nagit will be escorting Miss Rana around town today, so he will be unable to teach you horseback riding."

_Rana? Ah, that must be one of the sisters. _"Shoot, I was looking forward to that too."

Ivan nods. "When the ladies are around as guests, the princes tend to play escort. Luckily, they all have some free time today, so instead of horseback riding, you will learn history with Master Chezem."

_Prince Chezem? _"Isn't he playing escort too?"

"No, he's going to teach you instead."

_That doesn't sound good. _"Are you sure he wants to teach me?"

"I don't see why not, he is happy to share his knowledge, of which there is a great amount."

_Ivan is totally forcing him to do this, I can feel it. _"Well, alright then. When is he expecting me?"

Ivan peers down at his watch. "You have time to get ready and eat, I'll escort you to his room afterward. In the meantime, we can review meal etiquette and posture so you are ready for dinner tonight."

_Yippee. _

* * *

Ivan and I stand in front of Prince Chezem's door, and I couldn't be more nervous if I tried. Well, I guess I could be facing the possibility of death like I was when I met the king, which was certainly more nerve wrecking, but this is a close second. Despite our initial meeting going well, I seem to upset Prince Chezem, and I'm in no mood for that.

Ivan glances at me before knocking on the door. "It's alright Miss, Master Chezem is a great teacher, and I think you'll enjoy learning something besides etiquette."

I stick out my tongue and blow a raspberry. "You can say that again."

Ivan sighs, and I quickly realize my mistake. "Oh…uh…well at least it wasn't at the meal table, right?"

"You should keep etiquette in mind at all times Miss, it saves people from humiliation and discomfort."

_Which people? Me or them? Will I ever be up to par? _"Don't worry Ivan, tonight will be fine. I'll just observe." I look at Prince Chezem's door. "I don't think Prince Chezem likes me much."

_Crap, did I really just say that? To Ivan, above everyone else? I'm totally in for it…_

But instead of scolding, a faint smile comes to Ivan's face. "Master Chezem is one of the princes I've known since he was born. I think, in time, you two will get along just fine."

_In time? Since he was born? _I look back at Ivan. "How old are you, Ivan?"

It occurs to me I don't really know how old anyone around here is. I was able to estimate when I first met them all, but I could be wrong (_except about Prince Jun, who has to be 22 or 23; he acts too much like a frat boy who just graduated ungrad and thinks he owns the world_). And Ivan? Who the hell knows?

"If you think that's an appropriate question, then perhaps we need to review etiquette further." Ivan says, interrupting my thoughts and looking a bit sour.

I shake my head. "I meant nothing by that Ivan." And I didn't, I was just curious. It's not a question that ever bothered me, but I guess it bothers some people. "If it'll help, I'm 25."

Ivan's sour look fades. "Is that right?" His eyes give me the quick once over. _He doesn't seem to believe me, I wonder how old he thought I was. _I look back at the door. _We sure are close to this door, I hope Prince Chezem hasn't heard all of this. _"It's just as well Ivan, you would have found out soon enough anyway. I imagine you're in charge of helping me get a new passport?"

Ivan nods and knocks on the door. _Why does he knock for everyone but me?_

"Come in."

Ivan opens the door to let me inside, then walks away the minute I step inside. Prince Chezem's room looks like the room of a professor. Everything is relatively simple, except he's created his own little study area (which is where he's sitting right now), and the walls are lined with bookcases that are filled to the brim with books. It's quite the sight, and from what I've seen so far, it suits him well.

I look at Prince Chezem. This is the first time I've seen him out of his princely attire, and like his brothers, he has an impressive build. He's got on a sleeveless black shirt, accompanied by elbow length black…well, I'd say gloves except they cut off at his wrist. It's an interesting accessory choice, along with the short, gold hair wrap by the right side of his face. He's wearing black pants that are covered by what I can only describe as a cream colored sarong. He's also wearing his reading glasses, which are black and thin framed. He peers at me over his glasses like last time, then motions for me to sit at the table he's at. I walk over and oblige. I'm directly across from him.

Prince Chezem slides his glasses back up. "Now then, did you have any questions before we get started?"

_He sure doesn't beat around the bush. _I nod. "Yes actually, what's the story behind the flag?"

He has a picture of it already out on the table. He slides it over to me. "Our flag is relatively young compared to America's flag. I understand that your flag has changed throughout the years with the adding of stars to represent states, but with the exception of that, its maintained the same design. That is not the case with Bavan." He gently rests his hand in the corner of the picture, seeming to take special care that he does not directly touch any part of the flag. "This flag was created in 1964, when Father was a child. Grandfather created it as a tribute to Grandmother, as well as the nation's first royal, Queen Afsaneh."

I look at the flag. "The royal lineage started with a woman?"

"Yes, she also founded this country. She instilled such wonderful ethics and pride into the nation, and many believe that's the reason the Ottoman Empire was never able to fully claim us as their own. I'll go more into her later. In any case, the flag changed a few times from 1278 to 1899, usually as a slight variation from the original one…" He looks up for a moment. "The royal family could change the flag as they pleased, and that still holds true today. Mind you, it's frowned upon, now more than ever, but the law is the law," He looks back down at the flag. "In 1899, the British empire claimed us. They had tried for decades, much like the Ottoman empire tried for centuries, and they finally succeeded because the royal family was weaker at that point," He frowns, apparently deep in thought. "Greed and lust can heavily influence people, and influence people it did. We were no longer our own, we were a British colony, and up went the Union Jack."

_Ah, that's why all the British slang and hint of accent. _Prince Chezem continues.

"That was the flag for twenty years. Things were fine, but the prince, who was 15 at the end of those twenty years, was unhappy. He did not like being under the British power; his innate pride in the way Bavan had been was strong, even though all he had ever known was being under the Union Jack. His parents didn't approve, so he tried to hide it, thinking he was the only one. He wasn't. A small but proud group of traditionalists, lead by a rather steadfast young woman, decided it was time for revolution. The movement caught on quickly with the prince's support, and suffice to say, the British pulled out rather quickly. No one wanted bloodshed, and England had already gone through something similar with Yemen that they didn't want to repeat."

_Wow._

"During the revolution, the King realized the error of his ways, and praised his son for having the strength to stand up. The Queen, however, was distraught, and more or less exiled herself to England…" He pauses for a moment, and looks up at me. "I'm getting off topic. I'll go over that more later as well. Anyway, since Bavan was no longer a British colony, the original 1299 flag design was resurrected." He holds up another picture; it's of a flag that looks similar to the current one, only it's dark red and has two stars below the moon instead of three above. "The dark red is the color of royalty as per Queen Afsaneh's wishes. The crescent moon symbolizes fertility, which this land has never had a problem with. The Ottoman empire did not approve of the moon use; Osman viewed the moon as a symbol of his power, bringing forth his light to the land he thought was meant to be his, but since the flags weren't the same there wasn't much that could be done. Made their resolve to absorb us stronger, but that was all."

He points at the stars. "The stars represent the ten virtues this country stands upon: resilience, empathy, patience, sacrifice, politeness, self-awareness, forgiveness, hope, confidence, and modesty. They didn't have a constitution back then, so that's what was meant to guide everyone…well, that and the country motto: _al-Waḥdah_…"

"Unity?"

He looks over at me, a bit surprised and looking like he might smile. "Yes, unity. It's still our motto, even though the flag is different. Grandfather redesigned it so it would look less like Turkey's. He changed it to maroon because that's the color of healing, and Grandmother was a doctor. That was unheard here during the 1950's, and she served as an inspiration to all. She's also one of the three stars. The other two are Queen Afsaneh and the steadfast peasant girl who became a revolutionary…her name was Sadad. Grandfather put the ten virtues aside, but I feel they are deep within the countries roots, and these three women exhibited all ten flawlessly."

He sets down the picture of the original flag and points at the current one. "Any further questions?"

I stare at the picture in awe. _What a story. _"No…that was so thorough, and wonderful! I can't wait to hear more!"

He continues to look down, and I notice a hint of rouge beneath his glasses. _Is he blushing? _"Good, because there is a lot to learn, and that's without Arabic lessons. I believe we will have to save those for another day, as well as you teaching me American slang."

I smile. "I look forward to being able to return the favor."

He continues to look down. "Now then, tell me why the flag is maroon?"

_He doesn't mess around. _"Because it's the color of healing?"

"And why is that significant?"

"Because your grandmother was a doctor and your grandfather wanted to pay tribute to her?"

He nods. "Good then. Did you have any other questions? Aside from what I've just told you about?"

Given his detailed answer, I think he must have been expecting the flag question, or been prepared to discuss it otherwise. _I wonder how in-depth he plans to get? _"Yes…the military badges you all wear after your service, why are they red?" The different symbols made sense, that clearly depicted their field of expertise, but the red threw me off.

Once again, he looks surprised. "That is an ace question. The mandatory military service has been on and off for years, but it's been solid since the revolution in 1919. It goes hand in hand with our motto. A country cannot be united if all who live in it don't know what it is like to serve it. It's red because a popular piece of work at the time was _The Red Badge of Courage. _Being that it was done by an American author, I'm sure you've read it, and I'm sure you can understand why it was so popular at the time…not that it isn't now, but it held a deeper meaning back then, especially to Sadad. She's the reason why the badges are red; in the story, it may have been in reference to a wound, but she saw it as a point of pride, and everyone should have pride in their country. Plus, the courage part is implied."

_This Sadad sounds awesome, I hope he tells me more about her. _"That's so cool! What did you do during your year?"

He peers off to the side, and when I look, I see he's got his eyes on a giant selection of language books. "I was a translator."

"Translator?" _No wonder he's interested in American slang, to know slang is to fully know a language._

He nods. "I'm only fluent in Arabic and English. I'm relatively proficient in Farsi, Urdu, Mandarin, and Japanese, but I've got many more hours of studying ahead of me before I am fluent in any one of those."

My jaw drops. _Six languages?! Six DIFFICULT languages?! _"Wow, you must be a genius!"

He peers back at me before looking down at the paper filled table again. "It's good to know other languages, they are the keys to new horizons. Japanese is a little easier because Nagit is fluent, so he and I practice together. The others came up during my service."

I can't do much beyond nod. Not only is he smart, but he's modest. I bet he follows the country's ten virtues to a tee.

He looks back up at me. "Any other questions?"

_Probably more now than ever. _"I'm ready to learn whatever you'd like to teach me, though at some point I'd like to hear more about Sadad."

He looks at the picture of the flag. "She was not on my agenda for today. We can talk about her at a later date, and her biography is in the library-"

"LIBRARY?!"

His head shoots up and he looks at me in shock. "Yes-"

I almost jump out of my seat. "There's a library here?!"Given the amount of books in his room, I assumed there wasn't one, but this must be his private collection. Oh, wait, of course there's a library, that's where he went after I offended him. I look around at his books, too excited by the prospect of there being many more than this elsewhere._ Yes, if his collection looks like this, I can only imagine what the library looks like!_

His eyes widen further. "Yes…have you not seen it?"

I shake my head. "Melchiorre might have pointed it out to me, but we didn't go inside."

He gives me a look I can't quite read. "Well, we could continue to learn in there if you prefer-"

I clap my hands, almost too giddy for words. "Oh yes please!" I jump up and beckon towards the door. "Lead the way!"

He continues to stare at me with big, jazzy eyes. He slips off his glasses and stands up slowly. As he stands, he looks down. My excitement wanes as he saunters over, eyes still downwards. By the time he's by my side, I feel downright crestfallen. _What'd I do this time?_

Then, to my surprise, he offers me his arm. "Off we go."

I begin to feel excited again, even if he's just doing it to be polite. Normally, I'd grab on and hold on tight, but instead I softly slip my arm into his. He nods as I finish, and we walk towards the door.

* * *

As we walk down the hall, the floors become painfully alive with the sound of our footsteps, and I want so much to talk, but he keeps his eyes straight ahead like I'm not even there. Our heels continue to click, and I wonder if he hears it as strongly as I do. I look at his face out the corner of my eye. He seems perfectly content, so I guess not. I look at his arm, my hand resting on his elbow length black glove. Maybe it's because we're lacking skin on skin contact, but I can't get a read on him. He's clearly more taciturn than the others, which is probably why he enjoys books so much. _I love books too, and we're about to be surrounded by them, so why is this so incredibly awkward?_

I finally can't stand it anymore. "Are we close?" _Maybe asking the obvious will get something going._

He nods and turns us left. "Just a few meters more…or, in your case, about a few yards more."

I chuckle. "Good ol' metric system."

"It is odd that the United States does not use it." He keeps leading us and suddenly looks to the left. We walk a bit more and he stops in front of the door he was looking at. He releases my arm and reaches out for the doorknob. "Through this door and Bob's your uncle."

I know my face twists into some form of puzzlement, because he peers over and smiles softly. "They don't say that in the U.S., do they? I'll make note of that."

I'm still confused. "What does that mean?"

The smile stays on his face. _Language seems to be his favorite thing to talk about. _"It's another way of saying 'and that's it' or 'and there you go.'"

"Oh, like 'ta-da'?"

He nods and pushes open the door, pointing inside. "Indeed. Well, ta-da then."

I look inside and gasp. Before Prince Chezem can say anything, I run in. I can't believe my eyes! There's wall to wall built in bookcases all along the walls, and they even go all the way to the ceiling. The center of the room has display cases that put the Smithsonian to shame, and between each bookcase is what looks like thin, carved tree trunks. I look closer and see that the closer the books get to the ceiling, there's carved out branches between the shelves. I look up and see the branches closest to the ceiling meet with a mural on the ceiling. It's a majestic looking tree, its branches full of forest green and dark red leaves, entwining with the wooden branches of the bookcases. The trunk of the mural somehow entwines with the wooden branches as well, and a silver crescent moon peeks behind the tree. As I continue to stare, I notice there's a crown into the trunk. It' so well blended in that it looks natural, like every tree's bark boasts of a crown, and then I see what looks like the succession bracelet below it.

Awestruck, I look back at the bookcases. There appear to be rolling ladders on every level, like each ladder meets up so people can go higher and higher into the ascent of knowledge. I turn back towards the door and look at Prince Chezem, who's standing one step inside the library and observing what's going on. I clap my hands and suddenly up and down. "PRINCE CHEZEM, THIS IS WONDERFUL!"

Yet again, his eyes go wide, but instead of watching him, I run to one of the wall of books. I grab the first book I am eye level with. I don't even read the title, though I can tell it's old and been well loved. I flip it open and bury my nose into the pages, inhaling deeply. _Mmm, old parchment and ink_. I take my nose out and hold the book to my chest, smiling. I look back over at Prince Chezem, book still clutched to my chest. "Does anything beat the smell of an old book?"

I don't wait for an answer. I put the book back and immediately run to the rolling ladder on what I guess you'd call the first floor. I jump up on it a few steps and push off, rolling a short distance along the perimeter and laughing as hundreds of books fly past me. As the ladder begins to slow, I push off again and this time hold an arm out, like I'm waving to a crowd. The ladder stops as it reaches the front of the library, and I swing myself out towards Prince Chezem, who's still watching and looks a bit amused.

I put my free hand on my heart. "How do you ever leave here?"

He walks towards me and looks at the books on the shelves in front of us. He puts his hand on a book and his hand slides down it slowly and adoringly. "I don't know. Sometimes, I don't want to."

I look out at all the books again. "Man, I wouldn't. This is the best thing ever, I love this! One time, when I was in college, I went all the way up one of our winding metal staircases to the highest level of books. They stored the rare ones in a special archive of course, but the highest levels had the oldest and most beloved books available to the students. I was supposed to study, but I was just so zenned out that I laid down between to bookshelves and stared at the books. It's like they were all saying, 'Welcome home', and I felt the love. I truly did feel at home." I look around again. "I'd kill for a library like this."

I look back at Prince Chezem, who's kind of staring at me. I can't really place his emotion, and I can't tell what he's thinking. The intensity behind his eyes has me suddenly laugh nervously. "I'm sorry, I was babbling."

He shakes his head. "I was listening; I like to listen."

I step down the ladder and stand beside him. "And as you can tell, I like to talk. But I've had my turn; it's your turn now."

He looks surprised. "My turn?"

"Yes, I'm supposed to be learning, and I'm enjoying the info. I'm ready."

He still looks surprised, but he looks like he's smiling again. "Alright. Before we continue, do you have any questions about the library?"

I look around. "Tons, I'm sure, but I don't know where to start."

He gestures up towards the mural. "You were admiring the tree of knowledge."

I look back up at the whimsical tree. "Is that what that is? That makes sense; I really like the treasures within the trunk."

He nods. "You noticed. According to Queen Afsaneh's journal, she found what is now the coronation crown and succession bracelet deep in the knothole of a tree she often studied under. When she held them, a voice within her boomed, 'BAVAN. IN UNITY, IN KNOWLEDGE, IN VIRTUE. DON'T FALL AND MAKE IT GREAT.' She didn't think it was celestial in nature, but instead coming from the earth itself, like it knew the Ottoman empire was coming and it knew it was destined for better. No one knows where the crown and bracelet came from, historians have analyzed them both, and it's almost like they came into being when the right person came along for them."

He looks back at me as I stare at the mural and have the story sink in. "That's why we have a bracelet bearer instead of doing succession by age. Whoever is meant to rule will, as the bracelet has always ended up with the right person. There's been a few exceptions of course, as there are with most things, but once again, that's another story."

I think about the story. It would have all the makings of a legend if it wasn't in writing from the Queen herself. I keep looking at the painting and think about the bracelet. "Is that how you feel about the possibility of being king?"

He puts his hands on his hips and looks up at the mural again. "Indeed. If I am to be king, then it will happen. I shall say nothing to sway you either way, only that this isn't something to bodge, which I'm sure you already know."

I look over at him. "Bodge?"

He keeps looking at the tree and smiles again. "I see Americans don't say that either. That means to do something quickly and thoughtlessly."

"Oh, like half assed?"

"Half…assed? Well, that's interesting, isn't it? I think I prefer bodge."

I chuckle. I don't blame him. "I see the British influence is still pretty strong. After the revolution, didn't the people of Bavan try to reverse that? I mean, it sounds like they were pretty unhappy with the British rule; I'd think they'd want to eliminate all traces of it. It probably would have been easy to do, since they were only around for twenty years."

He looks over at me. "Twenty years is a whole new generation. For some, it's all they ever knew. Also, not everyone was unhappy with the British rule; there were plenty who greatly enjoyed it. Even if that weren't the case, parts of the culture of the conquerers stay with the conqueree." He looks back up at the painting. "There's still a British population here, and the prime minister's wife is British."

I can't tell if he's offended or just sharing information. "How do you feel about it?"

He looks pensive. "I'm 20 myself. I could have been one of that generation, never knowing otherwise until later. Maybe I would have stayed, maybe I would have left for Britain like the Queen at that time. There's no way of knowing, one can only speculate. What I do know is that it's part of our history, and it's important to learn from history."

_Twenty? Damn, he sure is mature for twenty, I daresay he's the most mature prince here. I'm glad to know how he feels about becoming king._

I nod. "Why isn't 'In Unity, In Knowledge, In Virtue' the country motto?"

He looks over at me, apparently surprised again. "Ace question again. I've often wondered that myself. Queen Afsaneh never said why she made the motto as she did."

I look towards the display cases. "I think it's great she kept a journal. History is fascinating from a first person point of view."

He walks over to the cases. "The one on the start of the royal family is right here. Others are on display in the country's history museum. They turn a page every week for people to read. It's in display cases much like this." I run up next to him. Sure enough, a very worn, obviously well loved journal is in the case, next to what look like a crescent moon necklace (which, I imagine, belonged to Queen Afsaneh). I can't believe I'm looking at a journal that's been around since 1299, and contains the start of the country from the first queen's lips.

I lean over and look at it. It's closed, but I see faded Arabic on the top. "This is incredible, have you read it?"

He watches me and nods. "Yes, it's a real asset to our lineage and more valuable than any royal treasure we have…at least, I think so."

I get excited all over again. "Prince Chezem, this is so great! I can't believe I'm getting to see such exclusive and important artifacts, thank you for sharing!"

Without thinking, I grab his arm and kind of hug it. Before I can release him, he yanks away and looks at me in surprise.

My eyes go wide and go surprised as well. _Ah crap…I knew that moment was too good to be true. _I feel like an idiot, and I should have known something like this would happen. "_Anna assifa…" _I mutter, embarrassed.

He shakes his head. "It's alright, I just wasn't expecting you to grab me like that."

I look back at the journal. "I won't do it again."

He shakes his head again. "That's an unnecessary promise. I'll stay more aware of the fact that you seem to enjoy hugging."

Despite the embarrassment, I can't help but laugh. "That I do."

He nods. "Alright. Well, what say I show you the other artifacts, and then we go over more of the country's statistics?"

"I'm ready when you are!" Despite our awkward moments, I think I like Prince Chezem. At the very least, he is a great teacher, and maybe I can share my new knowledge at dinner tonight.

Prince Chezem nods towards the other cases. "Off we go."


	9. Chapter 9: Half Baked

I stare at the contents of my closet, having no idea what to only do I have to show the princes my etiquette has improved, but I have six bimbos to show up. I look at the dresses and blow a raspberry. _Aww, that wasn't nice, they're probably perfectly lovely young women…probably._

I wish I was still learning with Prince Chezem. The awkward moments were aplenty, but the information was so fascinating that I could have listened to him all night (the fact that he's softly spoken behind those tiger eyes and well built body didn't hurt either). He showed me Sadad's copy of _The Red Badge of Courage _(which is also a first edition, _sploosh_) along with other artifacts important to the royal family. I found it odd that such important treasures were behind unlocked doors, but Prince Chezem told me that there's security cameras and alarms in every room, plus the guards at every outside door. It made me wonder how someone could have taken the succession bracelet in the first place, but I didn't pry. The prince then went on to explain the country's demographics to me, along with teaching me the national anthem and popular past times.

I wanted to hear more about the revolution along with everything else he started to tell me and didn't finish, but there wasn't enough time. Instead, he gave me a copy of Sadad's biography and promised he'd tutor me again soon. I was kind of surprised he agreed to, but he seems eager to teach and even more eager to learn, so that seems to outweigh our strange chemistry.

_KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK!_

"Come in."

The door opens. I keep looking in my closet, figuring Ivan has just arrived early to make sure his protégé (however unwanted) is ready early, but then I notice the scent of musk in the air. _Mel. _

I look over, and sure enough, there he is, leaning up against the door frame like he doesn't have a care in the world. His eyes meet mine and he gives me a Cheshire Cat grin. "Good evening sweetheart, I haven't seen you all day; where have you been?"

I can't help but smile myself. "Hi Mel! I've been learning with Prince Chezem all day, to get down the details of Bavan, you know?"

He chuckles. "More fine work for this country. You work hard, I think you need to play hard in the real near future." He struts away from the door frame and stands beside me. "Alvah told me you two were planning a casino trip, perhaps the three of us can go tomorrow."

I laugh and shake my head, peering back into the closet. "You spoil me! I'd love to, but I'm betting I'll have more work to do tomorrow, probably do a make-up day with Prince Nagit?"

Mel looks intrigued. "Make-up day?"

"He was supposed to teach me horseback riding today, but the Six Sisters visiting changed that." I look back at him. "Did you play escort too?"

He laughs. "Me? I should say not! No time for that, and even if there had been, a whole day with one woman is naff…unless it's you, of course."

I laugh as well. "Of course!" I think of Alvah's description of the Six Sisters. "So, which sister is your other half?"

He crosses his arms. "Oh yes, the light of my life, my little honey bee, and most importantly, future princess? That would be Abla, and I sincerely hope you noticed I was being facetious. Not that she isn't fit, she's quite fit, but she will be no wife of mine!"

I stand there, gaping. Clearly, I'm missing something here. "I don't understand this relationship you guys have with them."

Mel exhales. "There's not much to get. The prime minister and his heiress wife have six daughters…you saw them all yesterday. Six daughters for six sons, that type of thing. We're not engaged or anything, but royalty is supposed to marry well, so everyone thinks we'll all eventually get married." He shrugs and waves it off. "A bit archaic, but since I'm never getting married, it doesn't concern me." He looks back at me and smiles. "Don't look so sad sweetheart, I was born to be a ramblin' man, and Abla isn't interested in marrying me either. It's just family expectations."

That's more or less an in depth version of what Alvah said. "Are any of you dating?"

He smirks. "Why? You got your eye on someone besides me?"

"It's not that, I'm just curious."

He shrugs. "For the most part, we just view each other as good friends, but I'm sure you noticed Dania and Lambert. Dania wants to get engaged, and Lambert, because he's so serious in his duties, will probably make that happen because he thinks he should, but they're not dating. That probably made little sense, but I can think of no other way to explain it. As for the others, I could see Rana and Nagit getting married, but they're too young. And Meryem? Oh, you'll get a kick out of Meryem, she's crazy for Jun."

_Prince Jun?! _The way he says it makes it sound like it's a one-sided love, which doesn't surprise me considering Prince Jun, but I just can't imagine anyone being crazy for him. "Abla, Rana, Dania, Meryem…that's four, who are the other two?"

"Noor and Haya. Something tells me you'll get along with those two the best."

I'm about to ask why when I realize it's almost dinner time. "Bah! You naughty boy! Chatting away when it's almost dinner time and I'm not even close to being ready."

He looks me up and down. "I'm nowhere near naughty right now, but I can change that if that's what you'd like-"

"Mel I'm serious!"

"So was I!" He chuckles, but despite his charms I can't help but glare. _How can I show them up under these conditions?_

He gives me the once over again. "Actually, I thought you already were ready. You're a picture, sweetheart. I wouldn't change a thing."

That's sweet, but I figure this is one of his many lines, so I walk over to the vanity and survey myself. I'm wearing a white, low neckline tank, a long, flowing blue skirt with a silver belt around the waist, and silver flats to match. My hair is down, but part of it has been swept back into a blue hairbow. _Hmmm, actually, I do look pretty good; a little like Ariel when she went out to town with Prince Eric. _

I start to giggle. _I really need to stop comparing myself to Disney princesses_.

I see Mel appear behind me. "Was I right, or was I right? Although…"

He walks away and disappears into my closet. He pops back out in a few with a blue coat that matches my skirt. "It's a shame to cover up such natural beauty, but it'll keep Ivan happy."

I look down at my low neckline and nod, reaching out for the coat. "Of course, how could I forget? Thank you."

He smiles and offers out his arm. "Well, shall we?"

I smile back and take his arm. An escort, good idea. _Bring it on, ladies._

* * *

Walking into the dinner hall this time is much less intimidating, even if there are six women at the dinner table surveying me. I have a better idea of what to expect, I know the etiquette better, and I even know some of the princes better. It doesn't hurt that Mel is by my side either.

My eyes look around the table quickly as we approach it. Once again, the men all stand up in my presence and the ladies stay seated. Seeing them out of formal attire, I'm able to get a much better look at them. As they all have the same parents, they look much more alike than the princes. They're all some form of brunette, ranging in color from light brown to sepia and in length from pixie cut to waist length. They're all fair skinned, brown eyed (although they range in tone like their hair), and simply radiant. Every single piece of clothing they have on screams class, and all of them are sitting up straight as an arrow. _Sure, this isn't intimidating at all._

I scan for my seat and realize, to my horror, that I've been placed by Dania. Mel guides me to the seat and holds it out for me. I bow my head and sit down, tyring not to look at Dania. He pushes me in and hovers behind my chair. "Ladies, this is the one you've all been dying to meet."

With that, he makes his way to his seat, which is by the sister with the pixie cut. _That must be Abla. _She looks at me and smiles. There's no hint of pretentiousness behind it at all, and I smile back. If she's been paired with Mel, she's probably a good person like he is.

Her hazel eyes shine and she begins to speak. "_Assalamu aleikum_."

My smile gets bigger. "_Wa aleikum assalam."_

"We're all glad to be able to meet you formally; the medal ceremony was so busy that it was impossible to get a word in edge wise. Oh, and I'm Abla."

Out of all the ladies, she seems the most kick back out of all of them. Dania continues to carry an aura that suggests she still views me as a party crasher, and it seems to radiate off of Lambert as well, who is sitting on her other side. _Well, I guess things are the same between he and I. _I continue to ignore them both and look on.

The sister next to Prince Jun looks at me and smiles like she has no idea why she's smiling. "_Marhaban! _My name is Meryem, I like your bow."

She speaks in a singsong voice, and has wavy, shoulder length chestnut brown hair. Now that I'm looking at her more closely, I see she doesn't have brown eyes, but instead they're a stunning violet like Elizabeth Taylor's eyes. I absentmindedly touch my bow and smile back. "Oh thank you, that's very kind!"

She keeps smiling, and I notice that she's slightly leaning towards Prince Jun, who's to her right. I see instantly what Mel was talking about. Prince Jun notices me surveying them, and peers over like I crashed the party as well. He then looks forward and gives no acknowledgement towards Meryem. On Meryem's left is a girl who looks very similar to her, except her eyes look like freshly brewed coffee and her hair is longer and curly. She looks at her sister with a look that says 'Really?' and then looks at me. "Hello, I'm Haya, and before you ask, yes, Meryem and I are twins."

I nod. I actually was wondering, either she's good at reading emotions or they get asked all the time. "It's nice to meet you, Haya."

"Is it really? If I were in your shoes, I'd be hating this."

I smile, and notice Dania glaring and Meryem looks shocked. "_Ukhti_, you promised!"

Haya rolls her eyes and waves it off. "Just speaking the truth." She looks back at me. "Feel free to relax, you don't need to sit up straight on our behalf."

Alvah, who's sitting on the other side of Haya, points to her and smiles. "Looks like you won't be looking towards either of us for good tips."

Haya laughs, and I hear Prince Lambert clear his throat. Haya goes quiet and glares in his direction. I realize Prince Chezem and Prince Nagit are on the other side of Prince Lambert with the other two sisters, and I can't see them all that well. I try to peer around Dania and Prince Lambert when I'm suddenly squeezed from behind.

"Hi! I'm Noor!" says a bubbly voice. I absentmindedly pat her arm as she releases me. Before I can turn and get a good look at her, she's skipping (_yep, skipping_) back to her seat. Her long, sepia hair flips from side to side as she skips. She's next to Prince Chezem, who's looking down again. As she sits, the final sister leans forward and waves. "I'm Rana, no need to get up, I'm sure we'll talk more later."

I nod and smile. "It's nice to meet you all."

With that, the food is placed before us, and King Tamir starts to get his food first. After he stops, the princes begin. When they finish, we gals get to have a go (this is standard unless there is a guest present for the first time; as we've all eaten here before, none of us are considered guests anymore, but more like family).

Having Dania next to me make me very aware of my manners, so I sit up straight, eat slowly, and chew thoroughly. I take care not to drink until my food is gone, and I do not ask for seconds (apparently, asking for seconds implies you are starving, and you are given a generous helping that you're expected to finish). As I reach for my cup, I realize there are now two glasses in front of everyone instead of just the one goblet like last time. I look at them quizzically.

King Tamir must notice because he suddenly speaks up. "Ah, you're quite observant, foreign maiden. Normally, we only have wine with dinner, but I've since realized that having water as well is a smart choice."

_That's just a nice way of saying no one wants an unexpected wine glaze applied to their food again. _"Good idea, sire."

"Humph." I hear Dania mutter softly. I continue to ignore her and pick up my water glass.

The king looks around the table. "Well, now seems like a good time for afters, wouldn't you all say?"

I watch everyone nod, and I'm confused. _Afters? _I notice Alvah looks very eager, and I realize quickly that they're talking about dessert. _Yes! I made it to dessert without anything going wrong and without Ivan making a face at me! This is going so well!_

The dinner plates are whisked away, and many decadent desserts are placed before us. Their sweet, sugary smell makes me feel hungry all over again, and I get super excited again.

That is, until I see that none of the sisters are taking anything. I look around trying to figure out what's going on, and get no hints. They just sit up straight and calm, and I notice Abla looking longingly at a piece of chocolate cake. Mel looks up from his plate and elbows her, trying to coax her to take a slice, but she just shakes her head and continues to stare.

I put a hand over my mouth and stifle back a giggle. I noticed they ate like birds during dinner, and it would appear they're taking being a lady one step further by resisting dessert. _Ah man, really? Really? Well to hell with that._

I reach forward and take a slice of basbousa. I notice Meryem looks at me with wide eyes, and I feel Dania's judgmental eyes upon me, but I don't care. I dig into the cake.

I hear clapping. I look up midbite and see Alvah, whose plate has about five different desserts on it, clapping happily. "Alright, alright! Finally!"

He looks over at Haya and smirks. "Told you, no reason to be shy!" He looks at the others. "Same goes for all of you ladies. Have what you like, though I'll be happy to eat what you don't!" He laughs and continues with his desserts.

Haya and Abla instantly take some dessert, smiling, and I notice Dania glare at them. Haya rolls her eyes at Dania. "Lighten up, one slice of dessert never hurt anyone."

"You say that, but then you'll complain tomorrow that you can't fit into your clothes, and I will have no sympathy."

_Whoa. _That was a cheap shot, flat out cruel even. Haya is clearly in good shape, but Dania, being the thinnest one at the table, seems to have high expectations towards body image. Haya must be used to it though, because she shrugs and continues eating. Good for her.

I can tell Meryem wants some too, but is still hesitant. She looks over at Prince Jun for approval, but he shakes his head as he eats his own dessert. He doesn't even look up. _Oh, what an ass._

I nod towards the food. "Go for it girl, I bet you could eat a whole cake and still look fit." I look around the table, as the ladies now just look surprised. "In fact, you all could" I eat another bite of my food. "You only live once, eat dessert."

Mel laughs and picks up his wine goblet. "I'll drink to that!"

Prince Jun narrows his eyes at me, I hear Prince Lambert sigh, and Dania now glares right at me. "Glutton." She mutters.

I could care less what she thinks about my eating habits, but it's obvious she has some sort of influence over her sisters. Not cool. Meryem looks like she's still debating, but it would appear my words had an effect on her as she gives me a soft smile and gestures in my direction. "Will you please pass the jelly?"

It takes me a second to realize she's talking about the Jell-O by Dania and I. It seems funny they have Jell-O as a dessert, but it would appear they just like variety. I smile and nod, but I don't remember the etiquette for passing, especially since it's not directly in front of me.

Dania sighs and picks up the platter the mold is on. "Here you go."

I look over, surprised by her help. "Oh, cheers then!"

And then, of course, something goes wrong.

Dania releases the platter right as I'm about to grab it, and the Jell-O quickly slides forward and lands with a _splat _against my chest. Mortified, I spring up and, without thinking, I lean over the table and start shimmying my chest over the platter.

The Jell-O falls cleanly back onto the platter and I take off my coat, surveying my chest for any traces of leftover Jell-O and notice there are now red stains on my shirt. I brush off the neckline without thinking, and then I become very aware that all eyes are on me. I glare at Dania, who looks quite proud of herself. _Bitch, you did that on purpose!_

I realize how lewd all of that must have looked, and I peer over at the King to apologize, and am surprised to see he's smiling on in amusement. Ivan, of course, looks much less than amused and is starting to walk over when I notice the King grabs his coattails. I'm surprised by this, and he keeps smiling on.

"You know, your country is famous for their jingles in adverts. I was there for a diplomatic trip in the 1990s, to help build a positive relationship with the U.S., and I heard the jingles often. I seem to recall there was a rather catchy one for jelly."

I feel my cheeks get hot. I know exactly what he's talking about, and the others look at him in interest. Ivan still looks annoyed, and clearly does not approve of having his coattails tugged.

A devilish smirk appears on the King's face. "How did it go? Ah, that's right…'dig that wobble, dig that jiggle'…"

"SIRE!" Ivan scolds, looking upset. The King chuckles and releases Ivan, still looking amused.

The table erupts in laughter, and I sink further into embarrassment.

Ivan comes up next to me and almost looks sympathetic. "Let's get you cleaned up, Miss."

At a loss, I nod, and walk slowly out of the dining hall. As we're about to walk out the door, I hear footsteps behind us. _What now?_

I turn, and to my surprise, it's Prince Lambert. He walks out with us and stands beside me.

"I was hoping to tell you this during dinner, but obviously that didn't work. I would like a word with you tomorrow. I am a busy man, but I'll find time to talk to you. I'll see you tomorrow."

Before I can respond, he goes back into the dining hall. I look at Ivan. "What's that about?"

"I don't know Miss, but I wouldn't be surprised if it was related to that…dance you did in there."

_Great, more etiquette? And things had been going so well! Or maybe he'll want to Jell-O wrestle. _

I chuckle. Wouldn't that be something? Either way, this should be interesting.


	10. Chapter 10: Dirty Bathwater

**This scene is a bit similar to the game, in that the idea for the bath scene came from Solmare and some of Lambert's dialogue is borrowed from there as well. I am saying this to give credit where credit is due, as I liked the scene too much to leave out.  
**

**It was originally posted as a preview to this story so some of you may have read it before, but it's been tweaked a bit as the original had been written before the previous chapters. Obviously, the scene involves nudity, but I don't think anything happens that would warrant an M rating.**

* * *

Ivan peeks in as I'm sleepily brushing my teeth and tells me Prince Lambert wants to see me ASAP. _Of course he does. _I rinse out my mouth and walk towards my closet.

Ivan calls from the door. "Miss, it would do you well to make haste; Lord Lambert is not one to wait."

I scramble into a new found outfit, a green thin strapped dress and a denim jacket (to be modest), slip on one of the many pairs of shoes (tan and sparkly, whomever did the shopping has good taste), and head towards the door. I love this outfit, and it occurs to me I never said thank you for all the wonderful clothing. _  
_

"Thank you for the help Ivan, and whom do I thank for the clothing?"

Ivan seems a bit taken aback. "No need to thank me Miss, I'm just doing my job. As for the clothing, you can thank His Majesty's harem for that."

I stop and look down at what I'm wearing, suddenly feeling itchy. I know my face has twisted into disgust because Ivan says "Don't worry, they're all brand new. When you have unlimited funds sometimes you buy what you don't need then never use it."

_The hell else goes on in a harem that I'm not aware of?_

Ivan motions for us to continue. "We must continue. As you already know, all the princes are busy and you must respect their time."

_As if I had a choice otherwise._

I continue to stand in awe of the palace. Every girl dreams of living in one, but to actually take it all in is impossible. Walking down this grand hall feels like an adventure all in its own.

"Where are we headed to anyway?"

Ivan continues walking, emotionless. "I've been instructed to say nothing. I cannot override this request, you understand."

Now I'm curious. "That bad, huh?" I joke, wondering what could possibly warrant a surprise. Then again, there are 99 women hanging out doing god knows what somewhere in this place.

Ivan says nothing, so I ask something else. "Even though I talked to him yesterday, we didn't really need to address each other formally. What is the respectful thing to call him? Lord or Prince?" I get the feeling he cares very much about being called by the correct title.

We stop in front of big, red, double doors. "You do not work here, there is no need to call him Lord. Prince Lambert is just fine, unless he requests you call him otherwise."

He straightens his already perfectly vertical tie. "Are you ready?"

I shrug. "Sure, bring it on."

He opens the doors, but despite my comment, nothing prepares me for what I'm seeing. I'm in the biggest, most immaculate bathroom of my life. Ten of my apartments could fit in here easily. The large windows on the right bring in ample sunshine with the view of a beautiful garden, crystal chandeliers hang from the muraled ceiling, pearly white tile covers the floor, and a huge pool shaped like an orchid is in the middle. One edge is lined with candles and various bath luxuries like bath beads, fizzies, and bubble bath in glass bottles. At the direct opposite edge is Prince Lambert and two female attendants.

And he's naked.

I feel my cheeks blush. _This is not a pool, it's a bath tub!_

He looks over lazily. "Ah, you. I thought you'd be here sooner."

His attendants (who are clothed to some capacity) are washing his arms. He casually leans back against the edge. I look over Ivan and give him a '_you could have told me' _look. He gives a quick, apologetic nod. I look back at Prince Lambert. I don't really know what to say. I've walked in on people in the bath tub before, but accidentally. How does one react to a direct invite to bath time?

I feel my eyes slowly veering off to the side. It's not that I don't enjoy naked men, in fact I enjoy them very much, but I doubt I was brought here to oogle him. I should try to look at his face, but the water is only waist deep and he has stunning abs that I know I'll stare at. Even though I'm looking towards a wall, I notice lotus blossoms are in the water, and thankfully one is floating in front of him. _  
_

He rolls his eyes. "Are you going to talk or just continue to stand there daftly?"

I cross my arms and peer at his face. "This is how you greet all guests, is it?"

The prince waves it off. "If I had told you to come to the bath, you wouldn't have come, and I don't have time to speak with you otherwise."

_Assumptions, assumptions. _Despite his brief kindness at the ceremony, it's obvious he doesn't like the fact that I'm here at the palace, and I'm really curious what he wants to talk about.

With great effort, I keep looking right at him. "You misjudged me. I had heard bath houses were common in this country past and present, so it only makes sense royalty would partake in them as well." To a different capacity, obviously, as this huge pool is a private bath.

Ivan looks surprised, but Prince Lambert acts like he hasn't heard me. "This is the only way I could speak to you, and I really wanted to talk. It may be a bit weird, but I could think of nothing else. Thank you again for finding and repairing the medals. It was quick thinking and great dedication from someone who isn't even a part of this nation, and I am in debt to you."

I'm surprised by his gratitude, but I shake my head. "Think nothing of it Prince Lambert, I just wanted to help. I'm glad I could."

He raises an eyebrow as he continues getting bathed. "I do think something of it. Besides, no commoner does something for nothing, so let me find a way to repay you so I don't feel indebted."

I watch the sponges continue to caress his body. "Really Prince Lambert, it's okay-"

He holds up a hand to silence me. "No, you did me a great service...actually you did this country a great service, so you're getting a reward and that is final. So what would you like then? Jewelry? Women like their pretty little trinkets, don't they?"

_Jewelry?! Just for helping out?_

"No? How about a bottle of perfume? A designer dress? An iPad? What?"

I clear my throat to push back any further surprise. "Prince Lambert, I don't deserve-"

"Just tell me what you would like."

The words don't come. _How can I make him see that I don't want anything? He'll think I do what I do because I expect something in return._

Ivan seems to sense my dilemma because he says "Lord Lambert, why not give her time to think? This is a lot to take in after all."

Prince Lambert sighs. "Very well then, take the time to think."

Even though Mel said not to, and I haven't done it with the others, I curtsy. "Thank you Prince Lambert." I then turn to walk away.

"Where do you think you're going?"

I stop. Apparently, that wasn't the end. I can feel myself blushing over the mistake, and I can't seem to turn around. _If I do, I know I won't be able to look at his eyes. It took all I had to look there as he spoke of rewards._

"Face me when I speak to you. Have you no manners?"

I turn around slowly. I still don't really know what to think of this man. Does he think he is better than everyone else because he is royalty? Is he just naturally brazen? Either way, I do not like being called a commoner. _Then again, that is what I am, isn't it? My position in life means little, for I'll never be royal, and I bet less than 1% of people on this planet are royal. _

Ugh, where did those thoughts come from? If I think like that, I might as well just give up now. _No more of that!_

He leans his arm against the edge. "I did not excuse you. I took this time to talk to you; you should stay to the end."

I put my hands on my hips. "Is that right?"

"It is rare that a commoner gets to spend time with me, you should be flattered."

His ego, whatever the reason for it, suddenly makes me feel feisty. I had been enduring it out of politeness and the fact that I'm a guest, but not now. If he wants me to stay, then I'm getting comfortable. _Screw etiquette.  
_

I walk closer to the edge. "Well then, I'll join you." _Heehee, that'll totally make Dania want to pull out her hair if she ever finds out._

A grin slowly appears on his face. "If you like. We are strangers after all, we should get to know each other better through the skin."

I figured he'd respond so casually. He knows he's naked, but he doesn't seem to associate it with sex at all. Perhaps America has oversexualized nudity.

"Dania won't mind?" I can't help but ask.

He shrugs. "And if she does? It's just a bath."

_Very casual. _I turn around so my back faces the tub. Ivan, still in his professional stance, is staring at me wide eyed. He must not have expected this response. Seeing him makes me realize that I'm going to have an audience. This makes me feel more feisty, and daring as well. I slowly begin to take off my jacket, one arm at a time slowly sliding off. _Let me entertain you…_

After it's off, I casually fling it to the side. I run my hands slowly down my sides, then reach back for the dress's zipper. I look back at Ivan and wink. He appears to have trouble swallowing. I feel the zipper moving down. _Let me make you smile…_

I slip the skinny straps off my arms and let the dress fall around my ankles. Here I am, almost naked, donning only a brand new black bra and matching panties, and I've got two grown men staring at me. _Yes sir…_

I turn around and face Prince Lambert. He gives no indication as to what he thinks, but the aura of the tub is no longer a casual one.

I slowly walk into the bath, which is deeper than I thought because Prince Lambert is so tall. I take a seat directly opposite of him on the other edge, and the water is up to my shoulders. _Well, why do anything half way?_

I reach back and unhook my bra. After it's off, I hold it up by the strap. It drips water onto my shoulder, then throw it behind me. _Almost there. _I slink my arms back under the water and daintily slip off my panties. I hold them up and throw them behind me with my bra.

He raises both eyebrows. _Yep, that's right, not so common after all._

"You forgot your shoes."

Oh, crap. I look down, and sure enough, I'm still in my heels. Because they are so much darker than my alabaster skin, they are easily visible through the water. The minute I see them, I feel foolish. _  
_

I begin to tuck my knees up to take them off when I see the prince shake his head.

"It's alright, just leave them on."

_Oh? _I look back at him, and I feel a sense of wickedness return. _  
_

I smirk and put my legs back down. "As you wish."

I look at the attendants, who are still bathing him, and either they haven't noticed that I got in or they just don't care. Of course, why should they? They bathe people for a living. I point to one.

"Pardon me ma'am, but you're an exquisite bather. Can I get in on that action or is that reserved for royalty?" She looks at me, confused, then looks at Prince Lambert.

Prince Lambert glares, and out the corner of my eye, I see Ivan, who looks like he's going to pop…in a distinguished typed of way.

The prince shakes his head at the bather, who shrugs, then he looks back at me. "I've heard Americans think they're entitled, but are they all so uncouth?"

I can't help but laugh. _Uncouth indeed._ "Yes…we Americans are often so terrible, aren't we? But, believe it or not, you can't chunk us all together. I apologize if I offended you."

My apology is heavily laced with sarcasm, but if it has been accepted or rejected, I can't tell. He just continues to stare at me. He has no problem looking at my face, whereas my eyes keep wandering down to his abs. It's worse now because one of the attendants is lathering his front. The suds slip down each chiseled wonder leisurely, and with each groove they pass over I find myself salivating more. _I'll be drooling and panting if I don't do something soon, and I can't disrespect this practice._

I reach behind me for one of the glass bottles. Inside are many transparent purple pearls. I open the top and inhale the scent deeply. "Mmmmm, lavender." I dump a few in the water.

"You may have more than that."

I look up. Lambert, looking like a scene straight out of _Coming To America_, has an almost adoring look on his face. "This is now your bath too, do what you will to enjoy it."

A teasing smile crosses my lips. "Be careful what you say, dear prince, you may end up regretting using your words so loosely." I dump in some more pearls, then I set the bottle back. I turn to the side so that my legs are now up on the bench with me. Slowly, I lower myself down into the water so I can get my hair wet. The moment my head submerges, I close my eyes and surrender to the peace of the water. I lean further back, until I'm lying down on the bench. Too bad I have to breathe, I could lay here forever. I feel the tips of my knees brush the surface, and I get another idea. I lift myself back up and put my back against the wall. Slowly, I lift my right leg up until its perpendicular with the floor, my lower leg by my ear, and I grab it to hold it up. Water drips from the shoe down my leg, and I scoop more lavender infused water onto it. _Can't be too clean._

I look back at the prince, who's staring at me closely and looks like a thousand ideas are running through his head.

I smile and slowly lower my leg. "I do yoga." I may not be athletic, but I sure am flexible. I decide to forego telling him I also pole dance, might as well let him wonder. I slowly lift up my other leg and repeat the action. He continues to watch. I lower that leg too and try not to smirk. _Do what I will indeed._

I look back at the prince, who's still staring at me and looks incredibly comfortable. The bathers are finished and getting out, but he makes no attempt to move.

"I'll have you know I always know what I'm saying; a prince cannot afford mistakes. Of course, every now and then even the most carefully crafted sentence has side effects. When I'm lucky, they're pleasant." He raises an eyebrow and looks down at my feet. "I'm glad you're enjoying yourself. I was thinking, I could get you an expensive pair of shoes. Women like shoes, don't they?"

_Heehee, not as much as you do. _

A lotus blossom floats by. I create small waves to bring it closer to me. "Yeah, shoes are nice, but you know what's even nicer? This bath. I've never been in a tub this luxurious before." Considering my own tub, that's quite the statement.

He waves it off. "The palace is your home for now, you'll get used to stuff like this. Well, maybe not exactly like this because this is the royal washroom, but you get the idea. In any case, a bath is a necessity, not a reward."

He clearly wants an answer. So much for more time. _What can I possibly ask for that won't reinforce this behavior?_

Then, I have it. "Okay Prince Lambert, I know what I want."

He smiles. "Well alright then, what is it?"

I run my fingers through my wet tendrils. "I want to spend a day with you."

He frowns. "Impossible, you already know how demanding my schedule is."

I dip my head back in the water, face up so I can breathe. "I do know, but pick the day, and I'll come with you on all your errands. I want to see what a day in the life of Prince Lambert looks like. A few minutes at bath time, no matter how luxurious, teaches me nothing."

I raise my head back up. He stands up, and though the water is still covering the royal jewels (_ha_), I feel my eyes go wide. Also, they go right to his abs again. _A girl could grate cheese on them, but my appetite is not for pizza…_

What am I doing? I can't think like that! I give myself a mental smack and none too soon.

"Oh? It's certainly taught me plenty."

"It has?"

"Yes. I'd say we're not strangers anymore, would you?"

I shake my head. I certainly will never experience anything like this ever again…unless his brothers decide to do this as well, but even then few memories have the potency of a first time.

He walks closer. I feel myself growing nervous. _Uh oh, did I push the envelope too far? Is he expecting something now?_

He puts his hands on his hips. "As we are no longer strangers, you don't have to call me Prince Lambert anymore. Sounds too formal. Call me….Mr. Lambert."

_That's what he goes with? _"Mr. Lambert?"

He nods. "Yes, I like it already. It sounds…conventional. Commoners seem to relish in such things. I feel closer to you already."

_Here we go with the commoner thing again._

"As for your choice of reward, it makes no sense to me, and it'll certainly be a burden, but a debt is a debt."

He crosses his arms. "Very well then, I shall summon you at some point during the next few days when I am least busy. We'll have a long day ahead of us, so I suggest being ready by 6 am."

_6 am?! _"Can't you just tell me the day and I'll wake up early then?"

"I don't know when I'll be least busy, so just be prepared. You should be waking up so early everyday."

_He sounds like Ivan, I wonder what exactly he considers to be a 'least busy' day. _I've been here less than a week and between Mel's flirty nature, Prince Jun's advances, and now a bath with Lambert, I can't imagine what is to come next.

"Okay Mr. Lambert, I'll see you then."

He nods. "Good then. Be ready to keep up a swift pace."

Ivan is standing by the tub's edge now, a huge, fluffy towel on each arm. Lambert looks at Ivan, then back at me.

I look at Ivan as well. He looks like usual Ivan, seeming to have adjusted to the situation. I see nothing unusual about him. I look back at Lambert. "What?"

Lambert gestures towards the towels. "He has two towels."

I shrug. "So? You like drying off so much you need two towels, why point it out to me?"

Ivan shakes his head, and Lambert looks cross. "The bath is over. To take more time than is necessary is pointless. We shall get out now."

I lean back against the wall of the tub and instinctively cross my arms in front of my chest. _Uh uh, no way I'm getting out with this man. _I feel shyness overwhelm me. Perhaps this makes me a tease, but it was one thing to be covered by bath water and lotus blossoms, it's another to walk naked side by side.

Lambert crosses his arms as well. "How irritating. We bathe together, forge a skinship, and now you get shy? That is odd behavior, wouldn't you say?"

I keep my arms crossed. "Odd is an adjective used often to describe me, I take it as a compliment."

_And I do._

"Suit yourself." He proceeds to get out of the tub. I look away. Not that I don't want to see what kind of ass accompanies those abs, it just seems rude after refusing to leave with him.

I hear servants fussing over him as he gets dressed. I still look away. Only after I hear the door shut and the clamoring go away do I look back. Ivan is still standing there with a towel.

"Oh Ivan, you didn't have to stay for my sake. I'm sure you have things to do, I don't wish to delay you."

Ivan keeps his straight posture. "My job for the next month is to make sure you learn all there is to know about palace life and this country. I'm pleased that you are a most eager learner, but you still must watch yourself. That display before the bath was most unladylike, certainly unlike any bath behavior I've seen before. I hope you do not intend to be that crass for the duration of your stay; it will not do."

_Great. First I'm a commoner, now I'm unladylike and crass._ He saw me in the tub yesterday, why is this so different? Besides, Mr. Lambert didn't care, why should he?

Maybe it's his comments, or maybe it's because I've talked to him the most and therefore feel more comfortable with him, but suddenly I feel the need to take some starch out of Ivan's shirt. _If he can respect a harem, he can certainly respect me._

I stand up; my breasts fully visible with water dripping off them. I could easily move my hair forward to cover them, but why bother? Ivan's eyes go wide and his lips part slightly. _Did he imagine anything like this each time he saw me in my nightie?_

"What's wrong Ivan?" I ask, hands on my hips as I walk slowly towards him. "Is this not the very definition of being a lady? Why artists paint and musicians play? To try to capture the perfect moment of what soft curves and supple fruitfulness truly mean?"

Ivan is frozen, and is apparently having trouble swallowing again. I take one hand off my hips and slowly run the back of it down the side of my breasts. My hair trickles more water upon them. I keep walking.

"What is crass about a woman's form? It's the foundation of love, then family."

He doesn't move, and I'm getting closer to the tub's edge. I look up at him before stepping onto the exit steps. "You're so calm. You understand what I'm saying then."

He swallows, and takes a few steps back. "What red blooded man could be calm in a situation like this?"

A sassy smile crosses my lips. I slowly walk out of the tub. Once out, I make no attempt to get my towel. I stand there, strike my best supermodel pose, and stare.

Ivan either can't or won't look away still. I'm a bit surprised by his reactions. Surely nothing in this palace could possibly shock him, or render him speechless as he is now.

I'm rather enjoying myself, but it occurs to me I have to spend the month learning from this man. Maybe I should tone it down.

But before I can get modest, Ivan's face goes serious. He opens up the towel and throws it at me. I grab it before it can go into the tub. I wrap myself up in its comfort (_god, this towel is decadent) _and look at him. He does not look happy.

"Forgive my behavior Miss, but you cannot act like that. It is hard enough to be a man as it is, and it's even harder being around a woman who looks as you do now. Imagine if you continued this behavior in the halls! If this is the nature you enjoy, then perhaps you should have accepted His Majesty's offer."

I give him a sour look. It's clear he does not approve of the harem like I thought, but to be so insulting when all I'm doing is standing here? And why would I act like this in the halls? That makes no sense!

"That wasn't very nice. You know nothing about me, so to make that kind of statement is erroneous. I was simply getting out of a bath." _Well, no, it wasn't that simple but that's not the point. _"If nudity bothers you, then why stick around the bath? You could have just left me the towel."

He sighs. "Perhaps you're right. We are still getting to know each other. I've just never met a woman like you."

"And you never will again." I smirk, but I realize he has a point. I don't know him anymore than he knows me, and maybe I got a bit carried away. He is, after all, just trying to help.

"Okay, what say we call a truce and let bygones be bygones?" I ask, extending out a hand.

Ivan smiles and walks closer. "Truce." He replies, then takes my hand and kisses it. What a gentleman.

* * *

**Couldn't help but tease Ivan, it's too much fun not to! And yes, I totally gave Lambert a shoe fetish, for no other reason than he seems like someone who would have one ;)  
**


	11. Chapter 11: Whinny Some, Lose Some

**Finally, our little Nagit gets his time in the sun! He's harder to write for since he's a teen and, well, jailbait! For you Nagit fans out there, I promise I'll do my best to give him equal air time!**

**The next chapter may take awhile because I'll be traveling, but I'm torn between posting an already written chapter to delay wait time or just wait to write what I want to go next. What's already written is the day she spends with Lambert, and what I want to go next is her going to a museum with Chezem. Both will get posted, the difference is story flow and wait time. Suggestions?**

* * *

I sit at my vanity, pulling my hair in front of my face and blowing it away. This morning was a killer. Being up before 7 am was still tough, but being ready by 6 am? Forget about it! I'm still not sure how I did it, I guess the thought of Ivan scolding me again lit some kind of fire under my ass. It sure as hell wasn't the possibility of seeing Mr. Lambert, although thanks to that bath, he had the starring role in my dreams last night. _Heehee, if nothing else, that only made waking up harder._

Now it's 9 am. No Mr. Lambert, No Ivan, and no other princes. I went exploring after breakfast, but to my surprise, all the doors in the entertainment hall were locked. I guess if none of the princes are around, security measures go up?

I blow my hair out of my face again. I'm at a loss. _What should I do? Summon a car? Try to find Ivan? Read Sadad's biography? I could also play fashion show or dance party._

My door opens and decides for me. I look over. Of course, it's Ivan. I smile. "Hi Ivan. Tell me, how come you never knock on my door?"

He looks displeased. "Do you have a problem with the way I conduct business?"

"I'm just curious; you knock on everyone's door except mine."

He sighs. "It is not out of disrespect. You are my responsibility, and I want to make sure you are learning. I cannot properly do so if you are to shut me out at your will."

"Ivan, I haven't…" Then I remember how much he disliked me upon my arrival. "Oh, I see. You assumed I wouldn't try. That's why no lock on the door, and that's why you never knock."

He looks towards the windows. He seems to be deep in thought. I frown, and stand up from my vanity. "That's it, isn't it? I had a tough time my first morning, and you figured it'd always be like that, so you still come in whenever and pay no mind to progress."

His head snaps back towards mine. "Progress? You wish to speak of progress? Because as I recall, you and I called a truce. Unless the concept is different in America, I think we'd do well not to nitpick."

But I'm right, I know I'm right. "Why can't you just knock?"

He exhales sharply. "I suppose it's no longer necessary for me to assist you in waking up, especially after today. From now on, I will do my best to knock."

"Thank you, Ivan." I peer over at the door. "You know, I know you think I'm unruly, but I'm not the type of person who'd just lock you out for the fun of it."

He nods. "I know."

_He does? Could have fooled me. _"What brings you here now? I was surprised I didn't see you at the buttcrack of dawn."

His eyes go wide, then he closes them and slowly shakes his head. I realize my mistake and try not to laugh. "I mean, why didn't I see you before 6 am?"

"As you're already well aware, I have other duties. I was attending to them when Master Nagit summoned me to request your presence."

"Prince Nagit? What's up?"

"He wishes to give you that owed riding lesson. He would have come himself, except he's already at the stables." He surveys my outfit. Thinking I might be spending the day with Lambert on errands, I dressed in a rather smart looking black suit with a white undershirt. I even put on pantyhose and a pair of black business heels. Ivan seems impressed, but it's possible I'm misreading him.

"That's a good outfit, but might I suggest you wear different shoes when you go out with Master Lambert? You may do a lot of walking, so flats may be more appropriate."

I look down at my shoes and smirk. He's right, but Mr. Lambert will be so disappointed! "Obviously I'll need to change now."

"Indeed. There should be a riding outfit in your closet, Master Nagit will provide you with a helmet."

Oh, this is going to be fun!

* * *

Ivan and I arrive at the stables, which are huge, just like everything else. The stables are in a wide open field next to what looks like a race track. We took the Rolls Royce to get here, but according to Ivan, this is still palace grounds. I don't quite understand how, but hey, opulence doesn't always warrant an explanation. I take my camera out of my pocket and snap pictures. _I really need to start carrying this thing everywhere._

"I will not be staying, I must get back to work after I drop you off."

I nod. "That's alright, I can't imagine watching me attempt to ride a horse would be very productive. Amusing, but not productive." I consider this, and realize it's a good possibility this may be difficult. I've never been on a horse before, and I never stopped to think about what it might be like.

"Don't worry. Lord Nagit may only be sixteen, but he's a master equestrian. There's a great chance he'll be able to represent this country at the Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, and I have no doubts that he'll bring home a medal if he goes."

_Sixteen? Master? Olympics? Crap, this may be a charm lesson, but if he's that good, this is an incredible honor._

We're almost at the stables, and Ivan suddenly peers over at me. "Here we go. Just make sure you behave yourself."

I can't help but sigh. _Here we go again. _"Why would you say that?"

"You know why. You act a certain way around those close to your age, and-"

"Ivan, do I now have to be the one to remind you of our truce?"

"No, but-"

"Then don't worry. You know I want to learn, and I want to do well. I'm not going to Lady Godiva this or anything like that." I chuckle. _What a sight that would be. _

He looks a little relaxed. _Oh my god, was he thinking that was a possibility?! _

Suddenly, Prince Nagit appears. He's perched upon a handsome, chocolate colored horse that's trotting over to us. He has such control and presence that it's like watching the arrival of Hernan Cortes. I gawk. Wow, and all he's doing is getting the horse to trot? What a sight he must be when he's competing.

Prince Nagit comes up to me and smiles. "Welcome! Today is a beautiful day for riding, you and I are going to have a wonderful lesson!"

I'm still in awe. All I manage to do is smile and gesture towards my camera. "May I take a picture of you?"

He looks a bit surprised, but then he smiles. "Go ahead."

I snap a few pictures, then pocket my camera. He slides off his horse and approaches me. I realize Ivan has disappeared. _He said he was going, but isn't that so like a butler to just disappear?_

Nagit motions towards the stables, which are a few yards away. "I picked out a good horse for you. He's calm, patient, and probably the gentlest horse I've ever known. Shall we meet him?"

I clap my hands. "Yes! I'd love that!" I look over at his horse. "Is your horse going to be okay right here?"

He laughs. "Kaiya? Yeah, she's fine, unless she turns into a Pegasus and flies away." He pats her side. "I do not see that happening. Let's go!"

He guides me inside the stables, which host a plethora of majestic looking horses with a ton of space in their stalls. "Do each of you have your own horse?"

"Not really. My brothers all know how to ride, but they switch it up every time. Each horse is a varying degree of difficulty. For that reason, I switch it up myself, but Kaiya and I have been partnered up since I was 8. Obviously, she's my favorite." He looks at me and holds his hand to the side of his mouth, like he's about to tell me a secret. "But don't tell the others, they wouldn't like that."

I laugh and nod. We stop in front of a gorgeous black horse. The horse looks happy to see Nagit, and sticks his nose far out in an attempt to nudge him. It's really cute! I take my camera back out and snap another picture. Prince Nagit rubs the horse's nose. "This is Chisholm."

I smile. "Hi Chisholm!"

Chisholm looks at me and blinks, then he tries to nudge me as well. His nose is so soft!

Prince Nagit smiles. "See? He already likes you. Let's go get you a riding helmet, and then I'll show you how to saddle him up."

I'm so excited to ride that everything goes by quickly. Luckily, putting a saddle on a horse is not that complicated, it just takes a little time to make sure everything is situated well. Chisholm is well behaved like Nagit said, so it's no problem leading him out to the field and saddling him up. In no time, he's ready, and so am I.

Prince Nagit smiles. "That went well. Now then, it's fairly easy to get on top. Usually, a lady is to ride side saddle, but we shan't be doing that. If he is to obey you properly, you need to be straddling him. Put your left foot in the stirrup, pull yourself up, then swing your right leg over."

I do. The minute I get situated, I'm very thankful to be wearing pants. I look down at Prince Nagit and smile. "That wasn't hard! Now what do I do?"

"Well-"

"NEIGH!"

Chisholm suddenly whinnies then takes off like a shot. Shocked and unsure, I do the only thing I can think of: I grab the reins and pull. Nothing happens! _Oh crap…_

But it doesn't end there. When I try pulling again, Chisholm decides he doesn't want me on him anymore, and bucks up. My grip on the reins isn't strong enough, and I fall off.

_BOOM!_

Chisholm takes off, and I'm looking up at the sky. I'm not exactly sure what I hit first, but I am on my back.

Prince Nagit runs over and crouches down beside me, eyes wide and filled with worry. "Oh my goodness! Are you alright?!"

I don't move. I continue to stare at the sky. "Italy…" I mutter, looking at the clouds.

Prince Nagit looks confused. "What?"

"Italy. I wanted to go to Italy. The food is good, the sites are beautiful, the men are hot, and Italian is much easier than Arabic."

Now Prince Nagit looks surprised. I continue. "Sure, there are gypsies, but my things probably would have been safe. I can totally handle gypsies. I could be eating real Italian lasagna, in a charming café right outside the _Academia_, chatting up a striking Italian man, and I wouldn't have a care in the world."

"But no…I had to be original. I had to take the road less traveled and come to Bavan. Is the food good? Yes. Are the sites beautiful? Yes. Are the men hot? And how! But am I vacationing without a care in the world? Nope…instead, I get mugged, appointed to pick the future king of this country afterwards, but that's not all! I get charm school in the process, and I'm so damn charming I somehow spook my horse and eat it big time!"

I peer over at Prince Nagit, the mix of worry and surprise on his face waning, and now all he looks is concerned. I blink absentmindedly. "And now, I'm babbling to a prince. My apologies."

He takes off his riding helmet and runs his fingers through his coal black hair. "I only care that you are okay. The fact that you're talking and alert is a good sign. I didn't understand what you were getting at there in the beginning and thought you might be seizing, but then you started making sense." He looks to the side and makes a '_come here_' motion. "Don't move, the medics will check you out. Falling off a horse can cause great damage."

I continue to look at the sky as two medics approach. I'm pretty sure I'm not hurt, but I haven't attempted to move. As they check me out, Prince Nagit moves and stands by my head, looking down at me. "Are you mad?"

_Huh? _"No, why?"

"You sounded mad. Don't you like it here?"

The medics check my eyes, breathing, and pulse. "I do, very much. You've all been so generous."

Nagit crosses his arms. "Are you sure?"

My arms are being moved. "I am. I'm sorry, I'm just annoyed Chisholm doesn't like me."

Nagit looks like he's smiling. "He likes you fine. Something obviously scared him, so don't go thinking this was your fault."

"Then whose fault is it? You said yourself that he's the most gentle and calm horse you guys own, and yet he takes off and bucks to high hell when I mount him?"

"Even the steadiest horse is capable of bucking. Honestly, don't worry about it." He peers over at the medics, both of whom nod at him while they exchange a few sentences in Arabic. The medics leave and Nagit comes back to my side. "Right then, looks like you're okay to get up." He extends out a hand and smiles. "Up we go!"

_No broken back then, thank goodness! _I take his hand and he pulls me up. Now that we're standing side by side again, I realize he's a few inches shorter than I am. I also realize this is the closest we've been since he hugged me on day one and, like all the rest, he's quite handsome. He looks like he's half Japanese (which, considering what Prince Chezem said about languages, would make a lot of sense) and that mixed with anything is always hot. Despite being a teenager, his fair skin is smooth and flawless, and looks pretty damn soft. He can obviously tell that I'm surveying him because his big, brown, puppy dog eyes suddenly have traces of shyness in them. "What?"

"Nothing. Thank you for your help Prince Nagit." I reach out and give him a quick hug. I become aware once again of his height, and realize that I should probably never hug him if I'm in heels. _Not that he wouldn't enjoy that, I'm sure…_

He pats my back and I see he's smiling. "Please, call me Nagit. So, you think the men of this country are hot?"

I can feel myself beginning to blush as I laugh nervously. "Oh my, I was babbling a lot, wasn't I?" _No wonder he thought I was seizing._

"You got thrown off a horse, the body and mind sometimes do a system check in that case. Of course, in that case, the mouth can get ahead of the mind."

I laugh harder. "I do that naturally, but since you asked, yes, the men of this country are hot." And, since I can't help it, I add in, "Especially you and your brothers."

I give him a wink as he starts to blush. "Well, thank you. I don't think I've had a woman say that to my face before."

My eyes go wide. "I'm sorry, was that rude?"

He grins. "No, it was a compliment, and I always enjoy candor." He glimpses over at Chisholm, who's minding his own business at the other end of the stadium. "You probably shouldn't get back on, but I'll bring him over so you can see that you did nothing wrong." He reaches into the pocket of his riding coat and pulls out a small carrot. He holds it out to me. "Just in case. If he knows you're capable of providing him sustenance, his respect for you will deepen."

I take the carrot and look at it while he retrieves Chisholm. _Typical male, wanting food above all else._

Nagit has Chisholm by the reins and walks him over. Chisholm truly is a beauty, and he looks like he was made for royalty. Maybe he shares Mr. Lambert's feelings of not wanting to be by a commoner. I imagine the prince's voice coming out of Chisholm. _"Why are you here? What makes you think I'd ever want a commoner by me, let alone on me?"_

I chuckle. Mr. Lambert's voice does not suit Chisholm at all. Nagit stops about a foot in front of me. He strokes the horse's side. "Whenever you're ready."

Chisholm is looking at me with tranquil eyes, and I relax a bit. Maybe I was too tense earlier and he felt it. There's not much reason to be scared of him. _Except he could kill me with one kick…_

Chisholm shoots me a skeptical glance. I feel my eyes widen slightly. Hmm, maybe animals are more intuitive than people. I give him a soft smile and slowly approach, holding out the carrot on a completely flat palm. "Hello again, Chisholm."

Chisholm sniffs the carrot then quickly accepts it. His big, horsey lips tickle as they brush against my palm. After he finishes, it looks like he's smiling, and he leans in towards me.

Nagit smiles. "See? I told you; he's not a prat and he likes you fine."

With Chisholm's display of friendliness, I reach out to pet his nose. "What a good boy-"

"NEIGH!"

Chisholm suddenly whinnies loudly and bucks up on his hind legs again. Shocked, I stumble backwards and fall…again. Chisholm settles down and trots away like nothing happened, while Nagit looks on in shock himself. He scurries over to me quickly. "I'm so sorry, I have no idea what has gotten into him."

Still surprised, I assess my situation. I didn't fall on my back this time, but instead on my rear and my elbows are propping me up. I go into a sitting position and move my arms. "It's not your fault, but you can't keep saying he likes me…he clearly doesn't!"

I stretch my arms in front of me. They feel a little sore, then I see Nagit's eyes go huge. This is unsettling, and I quickly set my arms down. "What?"

"You're bleeding, a lot. I'll get the medics back."

He gets up quickly and heads to the stables, and I start looking for blood. Where am I bleeding? Nothing really hurts. I stretch my arms in front of me again, and I see blood fall from my right elbow onto my pants. I bend my elbow towards my face and look quickly at it. I must have hit a vein, because I'm bleeding like a struck pig, and I can't even see the cut. The metallic scent hits my nose, and I feel my stomach go queasy. "Well…crap…"

Then everything goes black.

* * *

When I wake up, I'm flat on my back again, and one of the medics is moving his hand away from my nose. The essence of something very strong is lingering, and I can only assume I've just been given smelling salts. Nagit is hovering beside me, kneeled down and holding my hand. I look over at him, his eyes huge with worry and relief.

"Are you alright?!"

"Yeah, sure," I say, squeezing his hand. "How long was I out?"

"I think less than a minute. We were already heading over when you suddenly fell. What happened?"

I look down towards my injured arm. I'm about to hold it up when I realize the other medic is bandaging it. "If I tell you, do you promise not to laugh?"

"I promise that I'll do my best, although nothing about this seems to warrant laughter, so it shouldn't be a problem."

_God, is this kid seriously sixteen? He speaks more like a real man than most guys my age. _"I can't stand the sight of blood."

"Really?"

"Yep. One look and I turn into a rag doll."

"But you didn't seem to be in any pain, you were acting so casually!"

"Yeah, well, pain is another story. My leg could get chopped off and I'd most likely feel just peachy until I looked down and saw the blood, then I'd pass the fuck out."

My eyes go wide and I slap my hand over my mouth. _Did I really just drop the F bomb?! _"I'm sorry, that was completely unnecessary."

To my surprise, he's laughing. "I haven't heard that in a while, but it certainly seems like the appropriate time to use it."

Between his British slang, Arabic, and Japanese, he's probably aware of much nicer equivalents. "Maybe, but it's still rude, I won't say it again."

That's probably not true, but I want it to be. Even before these charm lessons, I was under the impression that a lady never uses that word. As I ponder this, Nagit laughs again. "I'll chalk it up to your system check. I'm just glad you're okay. Terribly sorry about all this, I'll figure out some way to make it up to you." He and the medics speak briefly, both of them looking skeptically at Nagit for a bit, then they're off again.

"What was that about?"

"They said you're alright, it was just a minor cut that you'll need to clean and redress tomorrow, and that they'd stay by the reminder of the time. I said that wasn't necessary, and as you saw, they didn't really believe me."

I don't blame them. "You don't need to make anything up to me, sugar. If anything, I owe you for being so patient with my obvious lack of charm." _I bet a real lady wouldn't scare the pants off a horse like that._

His eyebrows go up. "Sugar?"

I suddenly become very aware of the fact that we're still holding hands. "Yeah, cause you're so sweet."

I watch him blush. "Oh, well…"

I try not to laugh. _No teenaged boy probably wants to be called sweet, not even one like Nagit. _He continues to blush and suddenly looks away. "Well…"

Wow, he's really embarrassed! His innocence is quite endearing. I squeeze his hand, unsure of what else to do. The touch seems to make him blush further, and I'm at a loss. _Being called hot does nothing to him, but this does? That's kinda funny. Then again, we are holding hands now, and I am flat on my back, totally vulnerable…_

"MISS!"

Nagit's head snaps in the direction of that all too formal (and familiar) voice, and I turn my head as well. Ivan is running (yes, running) towards us, eyes as big as saucers.

"Master Nagit, what happened?"

He continues to look at Ivan, and then he looks at me sadly. "Chisholm hasn't been kind to our guest, and she got hurt." He releases my hand and stands up. I see him dip his head. "I should have switched horses, or gone over logistics further, certainly something…"

_No no, he's not taking the blame. _I begin to pick myself up. Both Nagit and Ivan begin to move towards me but I wave them off and stand up. "It's not your fault, Nagit." I look over at Ivan and point to my elbow. "It's just a little scratch. What are you doing here anyway? I thought you had work to do."

"I came by to observe the lesson, and I overheard the medics talking. To hear them tell it, you were perpetually fainting and covered in blood."

I purse my lips. "Well, as you can see, they were exaggerating."

"All the same, I think that's enough for today. You can try again another time." He turns towards Nagit. "Master Nagit, your archery competition is in a few days, perhaps you should start your practice for today."

_Archery too? _Nagit nods then looks at me. "I still think I need to make this up to you. I hope you'll let me train you again, and next time, I promise the horse will be well behaved."

I shake my head. "For the last time, none of this was your fault. I would like to go to your competition though."

His eyes go big, as do Ivan's. I stare back, confused. "That's alright, isn't it?"

A giddy expression appears on Nagit's face. "It's more than alright. Everyone is always busy, so I rarely have an audience. Thank you for wanting to come!"

I smile. "Thank you for letting me!"

Ivan still looks wide eyed. Nagit looks at him and smiles. "It'll be fine, Ivan."

Ivan gives Nagit an '_I don't think so' _look but Nagit shrugs it off. "It will, it'll be better than fine, it'll be aces!"

Ivan sighs. "As you wish." He looks back at me. "Well, looks like you've got an engagement in a few days. You realize this means you'll have to work harder on your lessons before then?"

_Of course I do. _"Yes Ivan, I will!"

"Good then, let us return to your room." He looks at my elbow. "Fancy a rest?"

"Yes sir…" _Crap! _"I mean, yes Ivan."

Nagit looks like he's about to laugh, and Ivan sighs again. I look over at Nagit and smile. "See you at dinner?"

"You bet!" He runs up and hugs me. I excitedly hug him back. _An archery competition, that is going to be so cool! _Maybe he and I can talk afterwards, and I can see how he feels about the possibility of being king. For obvious reasons, that escaped me today.


End file.
